Honouring the Legacy of Moss Hotere
Behind the message
A tribute to a grandfather, a protector of mokopuna, and the enduring message behind Don’t Meth with My Moko.
Dedicated to Moss Hotere, whose love for his mokopuna became a message of protection for generations to come.
“His voice is still here. His message still clear.”
This page honours Moss Hotere and the legacy carried through the words Don’t Meth with My Moko. Long before this became a campaign, the message was already moving through the Far North in the voice, stance, and conviction of a grandfather who cared deeply about the safety of his mokopuna.
In the Words of His Mokopuna
Paps (pronounced Parps) was a grumpy man.
He tolerated very little and had a way of looking at you that could make you rethink whatever you were about to do before you’d even done it.
But beneath that gruff exterior was something none of us ever questioned.
He loved us, his mokos.
Keeping us safe was his priority. Always.
Sometime around 2018 or 2019, Paps wrote some words on a piece of duct tape and stuck it to the back of his Toyota Estima:
“DON’T METH WITH MY MOKOS.”
We don’t know exactly what made him write it. It was never up for discussion. It was simply Paps being Paps.
But there it was.
On the back of his van.
Out in the open.
For everyone to see.
It was classic Paps.
Blunt. Staunch. Unapologetic.
No fancy words. No sugar-coating. No attempt to soften the message.
Just a grandfather making it very clear where he stood.
Those words travelled with him, day after day, kilometre after kilometre.
A small piece of duct tape carrying a message that meant something much bigger.
Paps passed away in January 2024.
For a while, those words could have simply remained a memory, another little piece of him held close by the people who knew and loved him.
Instead, they came back to life.
Who would have thought that what Papa wrote on the back of his van would now be carried into our community as a campaign for something much bigger than five words.
A stand for our tamariki.
A stand for our mokopuna.
A stand for our whānau.
A stand for ngā tangata mō āpōpō.
Because keeping our mokos safe doesn't stop with one generation.
It’s about the homes we create, the communities we build, and the future we leave behind for those who come after us.
And now, when I see “DON’T METH WITH MY MOKOS” out there in the community, I can’t help but picture that grumpy old man in his Toyota Estima, driving around with his message proudly taped to the back.
Paps never set out to create a campaign.
He was simply a grandfather who cared deeply about his mokos and wasn’t afraid to say exactly what he thought.
Straight up.
Fierce.
Without apology.
And somehow, those words have travelled further than he ever could.
His voice is still here. His message still clear.
Still grumpy.
Still staunch.
Still unapologetic.
And still standing up for his mokos.
-By Arleigh Hotere, Kaitaia
Carrying the Legacy Forward
To honour Moss Hotere’s legacy is to ensure that Don’t Meth with My Moko remains more than a campaign title. It is a kaupapa grounded in whakapapa, protection, and collective responsibility.
It asks us to stand for tamariki, for mokopuna, for whānau, and for ngā tangata mō āpōpō.
His message reminds us that methamphetamine harm is not only an individual issue.
It reaches into whānau wellbeing, parenting, safety, culture, finances, relationships, and the future of our communities. Responding to that harm requires courage, compassion, and action carried together.
Legacy is not only what we leave behind; it is found in the lives we touch, the values we uphold, and the protection we continue to carry forward for our mokopuna.
Haere rā e te rangatira, moe mai rā i te poho o ō tūpuna. Ka mau tonu tō reo, tō aroha, me tō kaupapa ki roto i ngā ngākau o tō whānau me tō hapori. Mā mātou tō legacy e kawe whakamua, hei ārai, hei manaaki, hei tiaki i ā tātou tamariki, mokopuna, whānau hoki. Moe mai rā.
