The Killer Beez (Killa Bees) are a large street gang based in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, mainly based in the

South Auckland South Auckland is an imprecisely defined urban area of Auckland, New Zealand, with a young population, a relatively large Polynesian and Māori demographic, and lower incomes than other parts of Auckland. The name ''South Auckland'', though not ...

area. They were founded in 2003, as a large rogue street gang in

Ōtara Ōtara is a suburb of South Auckland, New Zealand (formerly Manukau City), situated 18 kilometres to the southeast of the Auckland CBD. Ōtara lies near the head of the Tamaki River (actually an arm of the Hauraki Gulf), which extends south tow ...

, as a spin-off of the larger "Tribesmen" gang. The Killer Beez were formerly headed by Josh Masters, a well-known

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

, also a former vice-president of the

Tribesmen MC The Tribesmen are a prominent outlaw motorcycle club based in the North Island of New Zealand. They have a relatively large presence, having set up chapters in Ōtara, Northland, Rotorua, Murupara and Christchurch. There were 108 members impris ...

. In 2013, there were 138 members in prison, up from 96 in 2011. Most Killer Beez inmates housed in Mt Eden Corrections Facility are housed in the Delta Unit.

Insignia and Slang

Insignia

The Killer Beez emblem or "patch" consists of the words "Killer Beez" and that act as the surrounding rockers for their ''Skull Fingers Up'' emblem of a

middle finger The middle finger, long finger, second finger, third finger, toll finger or tall man is the third digit of the human hand, located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is typically the longest digit. In anatomy, it is also called ...

extended upright with a partially extended thumb. There must be exactly 13 bones which comprise the whole skull finger. This is evident in all of the gang's music videos, released on the colourway records music videos. The gang predominantly wear white black and yellow.

Gang Slang

Killer Beez members are commonly referred to as ''Killer(s)'' or simply as ''KB'' by those closely associated with the gang. A common phrase within the gang's music, as well as being used in its logo, is the term ''AO'', pronounced as separate letters, which is an acronym for the gang motto, ''All Out''.

Notable Members and Associates

*Josh Masters (founder and overall Killer Beez leader) *Vila Lemanu (high-ranking chapter leader) *Rory O'Neill (member) *Christopher Shadrock (member)

Colourway Records

The

New Zealand Companies Office The New Zealand Companies Office (a service of the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) is a government agency that provides business registry services in relation to corporate entities, personal property and capital marke ...

lists Colourway Records as registered from 19 February 2007 until 25 February 2014. The company was directly owned by the partner of Josh Masters, Natalie Patricia Eyles. The company address listed was a well known pad for The Killer Beez Gang. The Killer Beez effectively controlled the

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

Colourway Records. Colourway Records was among the assets seized by the

New Zealand Police The New Zealand Police ( mi, Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa) is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintai ...

in the 2008 drug raids. Colourway Records has released several titles, including "Put Ya Colourz On", which also feature Young Sid and Josh Masters. They also released an album in 2008, ''Skull Fingers Up''.

Incidents

*In May 2008, Josh Masters and 41 other members from both the Tribesman and The Killer Beez gangs were arrested in a police sting. In total 60 Killer Beez were arrested in an operation which involved 110,000 intercepted messages. Charges included supplying

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...

, conspiracy to supply methamphetamine and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...

. Masters pleaded guilty and fought to have that overturned, but failed. *In June 2008, several Killer Beez members, including leader Vila Lemanu and member Christopher Shadrock, were convicted for killing Chinese businesswoman Joanne Wang, after they ran her over in a Manukau shopping mall carpark in front of her 8-year-old son. *In November 2008, Masters received a 'jailhouse beating' for an outburst in court, leading to complications in the trials of multiple associates. *On 15 May 2010, Killer Beez member Latu Kepu killed prison guard Jason Palmer with a single punch at medium-security Springhill Prison. The death has been a rumoured gang hit ordered by the Killer Beez. *On 3 August 2012, Masters was sentenced to 10 years and 5 months in prison for organising drug deals after police intercepted thousands of his coded phone conversations. *In September 2014, Killer Beez associate Hendrix Hauwai, 17, attacked Lucy Knight, punching her in the head after she tried to intervene in a failed bag-snatch outside a North Shore supermarket. In February 2014, Hauwai was sentenced to jail for 4 years and 9 months by North Shore District Court Judge Pippa Sinclair. *In October 2016, six guards were attacked with three being injured in a premeditated attack at Auckland Prison at Paremoremo. The attack occurred on 19 October 2016 after a group of inmates in C Block at Auckland Prison attacked guards with three suffering stab wounds to their heads, necks, hands and shoulders just before 2pm. It is widely thought by inmates at Paremoremo that the attack was planned and carried out by members of the Killer Beez gang. *On 4 November 2016, prominent Killer Bee, Rory William O'Neill, was fatally shot in

Blockhouse Bay Blockhouse Bay is a residential suburb in the south west of Auckland, in New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the northern coast of the Manukau Harbour, and is also close to the administrative boundary that existed between Auckland Cit ...

, two months after being released from prison. O'Neill was reported to have asked not to be released due to the Killers Beez ensuring his safety within the prison system. * In October 2017, members of the Killer Beez and the 36 (Three Six) gangs were involved in a shooting, where three males in Ōtara were shot in a drive-by shooting. Although the assailants were not identified, the victims of the shooting identified them as members of the gangs. *On April 26, 2019 Killer Beez head Josh Masters, a prominent gang member was shot by a member of the Tribesmen at a

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dealership in Mount Wellington, Auckland. It was an extremely unusual event as both the Killer Beez and Tribesmen were very close gangs that were in a very strong alliance considering the Killer Beez was founded by the Tribesmen as a feeder gang for the Tribesmen. *In May 2022, conflicts between the Tribesmen and Killer Beez led to shootings in South Auckland. Seven shootings occurred in the suburbs of

Papatoetoe Papatoetoe is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest suburb in Auckland by population and is located to the northwest of Manukau Central, and 18 kilometres southeast of Auckland CBD. Papatoetoe has the unofficial title of Auckland ...

Flat Bush Flat Bush (also known as Ormiston or Flatbush) is a southeastern suburb in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It has recently become one of the city's largest new planned towns after being developed as a rural area of Auckland for several deca ...

Papakura Papakura is a southern suburb of Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately 32 kilometres south of the Auckland CBD. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council. Papakura is a M� ...

Te Atatū Te Atatū (from the Māori : "the dawn") is the name of two adjacent suburbs in West Auckland, New Zealand: ''Te Atatū Peninsula'' and ''Te Atatū South''. They are located next to each other some 10 kilometres to the west of the Auckland city ...

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and Mt Albert on the night of the 24th, with two more on the 25th. A week later, on the night of 3 June, another Beach Haven house belonging to a Tribesmen gang member was shot at.

References

{{reflist, 30em Gangs in New Zealand