A political frenzy raged outside the front door as Steven Taiatini lay in state and his whānau tried to grieve, say Te Pāti Māori co-leaders.

Now they are hitting back at comments from National and Labour who, they say, politicised the Mongrel Mob president's tangi while his family were trying to say goodbye.

Hundreds of Mongrel Mob members gathered in Ōpōtiki for the funeral of slain Barbarians boss Steven Taiatini. Video: Abigail Dougherty and Tony Wall/Stuff.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and National leader Christopher Luxon have both expressed concern at the situation in Ōpōtiki this week, which saw schools close and tensions rise.

More than 100 extra police staff were also brought in to cope with the influx of Mongrel Mob members and monitor behaviour.

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says the small town of Ōpōtiki had been through a very public pain, compounded by outsiders dipping in to give opinions.

'I think the most important part about grief is allowing families and communities the respect to deal with it.

'So what I have seen is that people have focused more on the affiliations of a person's life, versus the fact that this person belongs to a wider village, that aren't all patched members.”

'I think the most important part about grief is allowing families and communities the respect to deal with it,” says Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Photo: Christel Yardley/Stuff.

On Tuesday, National's Christopher Luxon described the Bay of Plenty town as having been overtaken by a gang while residents lived in fear.

'New Zealand can't afford 3 more years of this soft on crime Labour government," he says in a Facebook post.

Luxon then promised to give police powers to prevent the gathering of gangs in public spaces by issuing dispersal notices.

Ngarewa-Packer says the timing of the political commentary was inappropriate given the circumstances.

'My God, the man was still laying in state! They'd barely got him back and it just became a frenzy. It just became a frenzy for everyone else,” she says.

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi was equally scathing in his assessment of politicians from across the divide.

In a statement, he urged Luxon and Hipkins to keep the name of his iwi, Te Whakatōhea, out of their mouths.

Rāwiri Waititi has warned Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon to keep the name of Te Whakatōhea out of their mouths. Photo: Christel Yardley/Stuff.

'Luxon and Hipkins have no business whatsoever commenting on matters they know nothing about. Keep my iwi's name out your mouth!”

He says they knew nothing about Te Whakatōhea, the situation or those who also happened to be gang affiliated.

Ngarewa-Packer agreed and says while everyone had shared their views on gangs, not one politician had commented on the impressive leadership shown by the community, iwi and hapū.

'This is Rawiri's kōrero, ‘te kai a te rangatira,' where he's talking about your mouth,” she says.

'Our mouths are places as leaders that can be used to provide solutions, or used to put the boot in when a community is already down…”

When asked about Waititi's statement, Luxon says he would always open his mouth to stand up for people in Aotearoa.

'What we've seen this week in Ōpōtiki is utterly unacceptable. To have a town shut down, to have people and kids not at school… because gangs came to town is utterly unacceptable.”

Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon have aired concerns about gang behaviour at the tangi. Photo: Stuff.

Hipkins says the comment about keeping Te Whakatōhea out of his mouth was not a fair characterisation because he had never says anything about the iwi.

'I think communities are entitled to feel safe, and it's not OK that schools had to be closed down and members of the community were feeling intimidated and unsafe.”

Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board chairperson Robert Edwards issued a statement acknowledging the heightened emotions within his community.

'Given the uncertainty and insecurity being felt across our whānau, hapū and iwi, we are working closely with community leaders, Police and social agencies to ensure appropriate measures are in place.

'As Whakatōhea, our paramount obligation is to uphold our kawa and tikanga to ensure safety through manaakitanga [care] for each other and our manuhiri [visitors]. The resilience of our iwi is the strength that will navigate us through this challenging period.”

- Katie Doyle/Stuff.