The National Party and conservative critics have labelled the funding as "outrageous", "stupid" and a "sick joke".
The Kahukura programme, run by Hard2Reach, which aims to address drug-seeking behaviour and trauma through a live-in marae-based in Waipawa, received the money out of proceeds of crime seized by police.
The H2R website describes a pilot of the Kahukura programme as being led by the Chaindogs, a cluster of Mob chapters with a common affiliation to the Notorious chapter of the Mongrel Mob.
Ms Ardern yesterday defended her and ministers Grant Robertson and Andrew Little’s decision to sign off on the programme, and said a pilot of the programme had shown "signs of success", with strong court order compliance and drug testings results.
"We either make a decision to fund programmes which, yes, involve people with criminal history but we are determined to address their methamphetamine addiction, or we exclude people with criminal histories from meth addiction programmes.
"It is very much focused on trying to address meth addiction and the crimes that result from that addiction."
Mr Little noted the programme had significant backers, including the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Health, Hawke’s Bay Police and Ngati Kahungunu iwi leader Ngahiwi Tomoana.
"We are not going to arrest our way out of this problem," he said.
Sensible Sentencing Trust co-leader Darroch Ball said the "irony of the insult couldn’t be greater", with police seizing $2million in assets during a major drug bust in Hawke’s Bay earlier this year as part of an 18-month investigation targeting senior members of the Mongrel Mob.
"Now the Government has decided to give it back to them.
"They are the problem, not the solution."
National Party leader Judith Collins tweeted on Monday morning "Is this a sick joke?", but referred official comment to National Party police spokesman Simeon Brown,
Mr Brown said the funding was "outrageous" as the Proceeds of Crime Fund was set up to support victims of crime, not the perpetrators.
"With gang membership on the rise, this Government is showing no signs of wanting to deal with the harm they create.
"Instead they are now sending ministers to speak at gang pads and giving grants to gangsters."
Ministry of Health mental health and addiction deputy director-general Toni Gutschlag said it had received a request from H2R with the intention to work with a collective of Mongrel Mob Chapters.
The ministry successfully applied for funding from proceeds of crime funds, which are administered by the Ministry of Justice, with recommendations by a panel from a range of Government bodies.
Kahukura is expected to run for three cycles of 10 weeks a year over three years, serving up to 10 participants and their whanau — about 40 people — per cycle.
Stuff reported parts of the programme could include "gardening work" at Central Hawke’s Bay Mongrel Mob leader Sonny Smith’s house, exercising at a gym, "morning walks along the Mataweka River", "a fishing trip on a boat on the Napier harbour", and attending Narcotics Anonymous.
— Hawke’s Bay Today
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Comments
Just appalling, funds for victims, channeled through the same gangs that create the victims. Just when you think this governments decision making simply couldn't get any worse. What the hell were they thinking.
This is a real twist of the knife to people like Mike King, who work tirelessly and are flatly rejected by this government.
The left are very quiet about this, their princess is showing cracks, also is the mongrel mob a chapter of the Labour Party they do seem to like funding them