An early morning raid has taken place at a Head Hunters gang pad in West Auckland, one day after new anti-gang laws come into force. 

Photos from the scene show patched members being led out of the pad in pyjamas and handcuffs while members of the Armed Offenders Squad stand guard. 

A police spokesperson said it was a “pre-planned search warrant”. 

They said they would not release information on what was seized until the search had been finished. 

Police have executed a search warrant on the Head Hunters Motorcycle Club gang pad on View Rd in Henderson this morning. Photo / NZ Herald 

Police say the raid was "pre-planned". 

The same pad was raided in August and police seized a firearm, cannabis and cash labelled “drugs profit”. 

Police have cracked down on gangs this week with the introduction of the Gangs Act 2024. 

The legislation came into force at midnight on Wednesday and police took action almost immediately, stopping a vehicle displaying gang insignia at 12.03am. 

Police say they made “a handful” of arrests and seizures of gang patches and insignia yesterday. 

Police have executed a search warrant on the Head Hunters Motorcycle Club gang pad on View Road in Henderson this morning. 

The act bans the display of gang patches in public places and provides extra tools to target gang-related crime and intimidation. 

Courts will be able to issue non-consorting orders, and police will be able to stop criminal gang members from associating and communicating. 

“Gang patches will no longer be able to be worn in public. To earn the right to wear a gang patch you have to have committed violent crime. There are a trail of tears and victims behind each one of those gang patches,” he said in a statement. 

Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham said police would be “actively enforcing any breaches” with a nationally led plan called Operation Nickel. 

“If you wear a gang patch in public, or display a sign or symbol associated with a gang, you can expect the attention of police, either at the time of the offence, or at a time that suits us,” he said. 

“There will be no excuses. Anyone found in breach of the law can expect the certainty that police will take action.” 

New Gang Disruption Units have been set up across the country to help identify, target and catch priority offenders. 

This involves investigating reports of breaches and, when necessary, gathering enough information to carry out search warrants and arrests to retrieve patches or other insignia.