Overall gang numbers in the South have decreased since they peaked in 2020, but remain almost twice as high as they were six years ago, the list shows.
The list was established by the police gang intelligence centre in 2016 to better understand gang harm and inform opportunities for interventions.
A July briefing for Police Minister Chris Hipkins revealed seven gangs were under assessment to see if they met the criteria to be included on the list.
One was the Finks Motorcycle Club, an Australian gang formed in Adelaide in 1969.
The gang established its first New Zealand chapter in Dunedin last year, the briefing said.
Operation Cobalt team leader Detective Sergeant Reece Munro, of Dunedin, told the Otago Daily Times gangs generally needed at least five patched members to form a chapter.
"They appear to be a gang that [we] need to ensure ... we continue to police.
"We do consider them, like all organised crime groups, as a potential risk to the community," Det Sgt Munro said.
Their presence in Dunedin was not believed to be due to deportees from Australia, but rather a Dunedin local who had been active in various other motorcycle gangs.
Police would be co-operating with other organisations to ensure they did not expand any further.
They would be taking a firm but fair enforcement approach, in line with the mantra of Operation Cobalt which was to suppress, disrupt and prevent organised crime, Det Sgt Munro said.
The briefing also revealed that another Dunedin gang, the Southern Vikings MC, was likely to be removed as it no longer had sufficient members to meet the criteria for inclusion on the list.
The group was formed in Dunedin in 1979 and its influence peaked in the late 1990s.
While little was known about current offending, members were believed to be involved in the illicit supply of drugs, including cannabis and alcohol, the briefing said.
The number of people on the list in the Southern district peaked in the second half of 2020, with 246 patched members or prospects. There are 27 gangs on the list at present.
The most recent figure, for April this year, indicated there were 217 gang members in Southern, more than twice the February 2016 figure of 107.
The briefing emphasised the list was designed as an intelligence tool focused on preventing gang harm rather than as a tool to count members. Numbers could be inaccurate because it was harder to verify someone joining a gang than leaving them.
Recent improvements had made the list more accurate, the briefing said.
