The Road Knights Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle club that operates in the South Island of New Zealand with a presence in Invercargill, Dunedin, and Timaru. Since 2012, new chapters have been formed in Thailand, Netherlands and the United States.^[1]

Its rivalry with the Mongrel Mob boiled over in June 2008 in Invercargill when the Road Knights' building was burned down and two motorcycles stolen.^[2] The motorcycles were later found by police at the local Mongrel Mob headquarters but had been set on fire.^[2] Two Mongrel Mob members were charged with the arson.^[3]

As of 2009, Road Knights membership in New Zealand was low and former leadership had dispersed, died or gone to jail.^[4]

History

The Road Knights Motorcycle Club was founded in 1979.^[5]

In the late 1980s, the Road Knights became involved in a war with the Damned which resulted in several violent incidents. The first death occurred in October 1987, when Robert Holvey, a Damned associate, was killed with an axle after a ramming incident outside the Invercargill prison. Three Road Knights members were charged with murder, but the charges were later dismissed.^[6]

In January 1988, while many police officers were in Arrowtown investigating the murder of Maureen McKinnel, there was a bomb attack against a Waikiwi bank. This was a diversion for a bombing attack against the Road Knights HQ, which caused only minor damage as some of the gelignite bombs failed to detonate. A gang sniper was believed to have been posted to cover the bombers, and shots were fired at a police car. No one was convicted relating to these incidents.^[6]

In 2004, Jarrod Mangels was convicted of the 1987 murder of Maureen McKinnel, which happened before he joined the club.^[7]