Closing ranks and closing doors was one town's way of dealing with its gang problem.

Patched Mongrel Mob members seen in Motueka last month are not currently in the town, and business opposition helped to deter them, police say.

Richmond station Acting Senior Sergeant Mike Wardle told the Motueka Community Board meeting on Tuesday Mob members had packed up and left, and had most recently been living in Nelson city.

He said there had been no recent sightings of patched members, which he credited to Motueka businesses taking the initiative to not allow gang patches on their premises.

"It's offensive, but it's not an offence. And one of the best ways of dealing with that, which I think the community did, was to say, 'If you wear your gang patch, I'm going to trespass you from coming in here'."

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Wardle said the situation had reached the point where the gang members came to the police, saying they felt they were being "picked on".

"I wasn't there for that conversation, but the words to the effect there were, 'If you don't wear your gang stuff in town, it's not an issue'."

Stuff The Mongrel Mob have been around for nearly 60 years, with chapters all around New Zealand and even Australia.

He said their arrival wasn't an isolated incident, with towns throughout the country having similar experiences.

"They are popping up everywhere, it seems it's a popular thing to be at the moment."

During late July, there were multiple sightings of patched members of the Mongrel Mob Barbarians gang.

Tasman Police Detective Paul Borrell said there were about five members of the gang who had been present in Motueka, and had recently moved to the area from the East Coast of the North Island.

"The unusual aspect with these guys is they're on motorcycles, you see them around in their patches, which is quite new to Nelson."

Higher prices for methamphetamine in the Nelson region had made it an attractive place for gangs to set up shop, he said.

"It could be driven by a lack of supply, or for some reason people are prepared to pay more.

"But from a criminal perspective, there's more money to be made – it's about $200 dearer on average than in other places."