Homeless people gathered on Pukuatua St. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell has won support from fellow Bay of Plenty mayors for a proposed regional taskforce to address homelessness.
Tapsell floated the idea of a mayoral taskforce at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Mayoral Forum in Tauranga today.
Rotorua became the poster child for homelessness and emergency housing following the Covid-19 pandemic, said Tapsell.
But contracted emergency housing ended in December and Tapsell said Rotorua Lakes Council was now only weeks away from finalising its own homelessness strategy.
In developing the strategy, Tapsell said she had been left “heartbroken” by some of the statistics uncovered, including cases of children as young as 12 living on the streets.
Bringing mayors together could help break down barriers to information sharing and better co-ordinated responses, she said.
She said the proposed taskforce could support community-led solutions to improve social infrastructure, increase access to shelter and sustainable housing, engage with Māori and Pasifika communities, and identify initiatives aimed at preventing youth homelessness.
Ōpōtiki Mayor David Moore was horrified by the idea of a 12-year-old living on the street.
“There’s something clearly seriously wrong with society,” he said.
He backed the taskforce and criticised recently announced Government plans for move-on orders.
Last month, the Government announced plans to give police the power to move people on from public spaces for up to 24 hours if they were found to be rough-sleeping, begging or behaving in a way deemed disorderly.
Breaching an order could lead to a fine of up to $2000 or a three-month jail sentence.
“It is obscene,” Moore said.
“It’s easy to move people on so they can’t be visible, especially in an election year. It’s just kicking the can down the road.”
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale also questioned the policy, saying it only dealt with the issue temporarily.
“But it doesn’t solve the problem,” Drysdale said.
“You move them on, but where to? That’s the challenge.”
He said collaboration between councils could be valuable.
“I think there is a lot of benefit in working together, being collaborative and learning from each other.”
Whakatāne Mayor Nándor Tánczos said homelessness was a “growing issue” in his district and he supported the proposal.
“It’s very difficult and very concerning for our communities,” he said.
“I think we do have a role as a co-ordinated voice, pushing agencies and holding central government to account.”
Kawerau Mayor Faylene Tunui said much of the homelessness in her town had been transitional, but there had been little long-term support.
“The care needed for broken hearts and broken lives is labour-intensive,” she said.
“It takes a specialist level of care to find the root cause, not just the symptoms.”
Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer said homelessness in his district was less visible, often involving people staying at freedom camping sites or in reserves.
He said he would “love to support” the taskforce but was “conscious” that central government had previously urged councils to “stick to their knitting”, in reference to the removal of the four wellbeings from local government legislation.
Tánczos, Drysdale and Moore all acknowledged that responses to homelessness should not fall on local government, but said councils were often left to respond when central government action fell short.
“It’s what we do as mayors,” Moore said.
“We put our hand up.”
In response to earlier criticism of the move-on orders, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith insisted the Government was not criminalising homelessness, and denied it would simply shift the problem elsewhere.
Goldsmith has consistently defended the policy, saying it did not target those in poverty.
“Only people who refuse those orders will face prosecution. A move-on order is not a criminal charge.”
The proposed law was about reclaiming streets and city centres for the enjoyment of everybody, he said.
At today’s meeting, Tapsell was also reappointed chairwoman of the Bay of Plenty Mayoral Forum for a second consecutive term. Tánczos will serve as her deputy.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.