Māori housing provider warns proposed move-on powers could push vulnerable away from help

Source: Radio New Zealand

A kaupapa Māori housing and support provider is warning proposed move-on powers could push vulnerable whānau further away from help, rather than addressing the root causes of homelessness.

It comes after hundreds of people across the motu protested on Sunday, opposing the proposed orders – including an overnight vigil in Wellington cathedral.

Ki Tua o Matariki urged the government to reconsider changes to the Summary Offences Act, which would allow police to move on rough sleepers or people displaying disorderly behaviour.

It would also apply to people who were obstructing or impeding someone entering a business, breaching the peace, begging, or displaying behaviour indicating an attempt to inhabit a public place.

Under the proposal, breaching a move-on order could result in fines of up to $2000 or up to three months’ imprisonment.

The powers could apply nationwide and potentially affect rangatahi as young as 14.

Ki Tua o Matariki Chief executive Zoe Witika-Hawke said the approach risks criminalising hardship.

“Punishing people who cannot afford necessities such as housing, food, or transport does not reduce homelessness, it deepens fear and mistrust,” she said.

Witika-Hawke said from what she sees on the ground, homelessness is not a choice.

“We’re not seeing that people choose homelessness… what we’re seeing is people really wanting their lives to be better.”

She said trust was critical in supporting whānau into stable housing and wellbeing.

“For whānau to engage in support, trust must come first. Pushing people further into the criminal justice system moves them away from the very support that enables long-term wellbeing.”

Ki Tua o Matariki provided housing and wraparound support for mātua taiohi (young parents), hapū māmā and their whānau, including mental health services, education pathways and kaupapa Māori wānanga.

Witika-Hawke said the proposed changes risk sending the wrong message.

“What does that tell our whānau? What does that tell our communities? Are we trying to push people to the corners of society where they become more unwell?”

She said the inclusion of rangatahi raised serious concerns.

“A 14-year-old homeless and moving them on and potentially punishing them with a fine or imprisonment is just unfathomable to us.”

“What we’re seeing is rangatahi who want tautoko (support), but also want to trust the people that are giving the tautoko. And I think once that trust is built, things do change. A 14-year-old on the street does not choose to be homeless.”

The organisation said Māori were disproportionately affected by homelessness, with 2023 census data showing Māori were over-represented in rough sleeping and insecure housing.

Māori women were particularly impacted, with a study by Ihi Research in 2024 finding four out of five homeless women in Aotearoa were Māori.

Hineraukura Martin, a founding member of Māori maternal mental health advisory group Hine Ki Te Wheiao, said the proposal assumed people sleeping rough had somewhere else to go.

“It prioritises public comfort over addressing the structural drivers of homelessness, including inflation, rising living costs, and housing insecurity,” Martin said.

“Treating homelessness as a behavioural issue rather than a systemic one risks ignoring the economic realities many whānau are facing. We believe the focus must shift toward practical, compassionate solutions that respond to the real pressures impacting our communities”

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith previously said move-on orders were not about criminalising homelessness.

“Only people who refuse those orders will face prosecution. A move-on order is not a criminal charge,” he said.

Goldsmith said the policy was about ensuring public spaces were safe and accessible.

“This is about reclaiming our streets and our city centres for the enjoyment of everybody who visits, works and lives there.”

He said police had “the expertise to connect people with the support services they may require”.

“New Zealanders are fair-minded people, and our culture is one where we seek to help those who are in need, but that doesn’t mean we should accept our city centres, particularly our showcase tourist spots, becoming places of intimidation, and dysfunction,

Police Minister Mark Mitchell previously said officers would use discretion and aim to connect people with support services where needed.

“We’ve got something that will formalise it, that will actually hopefully get them engaging with those services and actually fix those issues, and at the same time we won’t have people living on our streets. I don’t think any fair-minded Kiwi in our country wants to see people out living on our streets.”

But Witika-Hawke argued without investment in housing and support, enforcement alone would not work.

“Targeting the root issue requires investment… more social support, more health support, more opportunities for our whānau to be navigated into homes.”

She said the current climate including rising living costs was already placing pressure on communities.

“People are feeling hopeless. People are feeling like they can’t see an end to the struggle,” she said.

“If you create an environment where you make the struggle harder… then that hope in people’s mental health is going to suffer.”

“I think care, over a punitive approach, is actually what’s going to make the best difference in this moment.”

Ki Tua o Matariki was calling for a shift toward prevention and kaupapa Māori-led solutions.

“Maybe it’s a time to pause and think about developing policies that benefit those that are struggling in the current climate and design things for them rather than the other way around,” Witika-Hawke said.

“Our communities deserve public policy grounded in manaakitanga, not punishment.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand