A log whare on Napier's Marine Parade beach, occupied by John until he was provided with temporary accommodation. It is one of many along the stretch of stony coastline. Photo / Warren Buckland
As John* packs up his limited belongings on a sunny Napier morning, he takes a look at the makeshift driftwood hut on the beach off Marine Parade that had been his home for the past six weeks.
For John, this was a place of solidarity and self-realisation. Somewhere he couldbe away from a world grappling with a housing, crime and cost-of-living crisis.
Like many on the beach, he could be described as a kind of warrior, trying to work with a complex system and those who try to keep him down while making the most of what life throws at him.
“I was a bit over the system. Everything is just too expensive and I can’t afford anything. Here I can get away from the world and find myself and my peace again.
“As long as I budget my benefit, I can get by week to week. I haven’t complained once since I’ve been here, I appreciate everything that comes across my path.”
The hut-dwelling life will soon end for John. He’s making his way to the other side of Napier, where he’s been offered temporary accommodation at a motel.
He’s been working with housing support teams to try to make a better life for himself and his whānau. He says he’s thankful for the chance and knew that, as soon as he left, someone else would likely take his place on the beach.
“I’ve got kids out there. They are old enough and doing their own thing but the main reason I want a house is so that my kids have somewhere to fall back on.
“I’m giving this one away,” he says, pointing to the driftwood house.
He reckons at least four to five others are living among the driftwood along the rocky pebbled beach from Marine Parade to Awatoto and further.
That does not include those camped out in cars, tents and bushes further along the reserves.
These people’s situations vary. Some stay there out of necessity, others because they are sick of the system or are grappling with mental health or addiction issues. Many see it as an escape from the world around them.
“The way things are going, there will be more people on this beach than stones,” John says.
On the move
Today, Keith* is visiting the homeless on his bike, as he often does. If he was rich enough to own some land and build a toilet block, he’d offer it to them in a heartbeat, he says.
“You meet a lot of good people, and some bad ones too,” John says of Keith, who greets him for a friendly chat or to drop off supplies, and those living in houses across the reserve that complain.
“One person also sold their house to get away,” Keith chips in.
“People used to live in the bushes, until the council cut them all down,” he adds, pointing to some of the smaller remaining bushes in the reserve.
A Napier City Council spokesperson said Napier Assist recently carried out a raw data count along parks and reserves within the council boundary and found 37 people there identified as homeless.
John points to the shack a few hundred metres down from him.
“A guy has just moved in next door here. From what I’ve heard, he’s got money but just wants his own space and to be part of nature.
“Everyone that comes here starts to connect with nature, it’s all about keeping positive.”
Positivity, he says, has kept him going. Whether it be the rats that gnaw at his bag, the bitter temperatures or human threats, he’ll always find a way to make it work.
“They realise it’s a waste of time getting police and security involved,” Keith says of those from central government and council services.
“They are trying to help as much as they can.”
Outside the Faraday cage
Further down the beach stands a marvellous sight. A pseudo-log cabin made of driftwood adorned with a black tarpaulin and mesh.
This is the home of Jim, a local legend who spends his days helping others who decide to live on the beach.
He’s lived in the bushes, around town and on the coast for about eight years and sees it as freedom from the confines of modern life.
“Bushcraft is a challenge but it’s better than living inside a house. A house is like a Faraday cage that strips your energy down.”
Some of the homeless come to Jim for counselling, as someone who understands their situation.
“I suppose I do a lot of mediating, counselling and policing. It does take a toll, though.”
While he’s had people from agencies come through to see him in the past, they’ve left him alone in recent times.
Over eight years, he’s been moved on from about 400 places around Napier. Now, in his free time, he studies different laws and regulations.
“I’ve tried to ask for some funding because I’ve had people bettering themselves in these bushes. They were healing down here and that’s what people needed.”
Once the bushes were cut, he says he decided to “make a statement” by moving to his makeshift whare on the beach.
“I’m sure I’m 21 metres from the high tide mark and not on council land.”
Those on the beach speak highly of Jim and his commitment to helping others. John says he has been a good friend during the time they’ve spent together, and they would often share advice and stories.
A woman who owns a house nearby says she likes to visit Jim with her family. She says people will often help with food, supplies and even with getting him his canine companion Soul.
A helping hand
There are numerous agencies involved in caring for those considered homeless, including Napier City Council, Napier Assist, the Ministry of Social Development and police.
Karen Bartlett, regional commissioner for the Ministry of Social Development on the East Coast, says she wants those sleeping rough to touch base with MSD providers.
“When someone comes to us with an urgent need for housing, we work with them to find somewhere suitable to stay.
“As a last resort, this might include emergency housing but our first move is to look at all the other options they might have to avoid homelessness. There are many ways we can support someone’s search for longer-term housing.”
Options include exploring private rental options, financial support to help them stay with family or friends, help with rent and paying bond for a new property and help to negotiate with landlords to retain a tenancy.
There is also support to pay bond and rent in advance for a new place, as well as financial assistance with moving costs or offering a landlord tenancy costs cover.
A Napier City Council spokesperson says the city’s homelessness situation is concerning, particularly for those directly affected by it.
“What is being seen on the foreshore is indicative of a bigger issue across NZ.
“We are working very proactively in the homelessness space, closely collaborating with a number of agencies and partners to identify a broad range of initiatives to address the situation.”
MSD, Whatever It Takes Trust and the police are the lead agencies in charge of providing support.
“It is complex and needs careful handling to ensure respect and integrity is maintained for those at the centre of the issue,” the spokesperson says.
“Our Napier Assist team, alongside the police and WIT, make regular contact with the homeless and we are developing a strategy and action plan to assist with helping ease the situation.”
The spokesperson says solving the issue of people living on the beach is not simple and notes that there are bylaws to help strengthen support networks.
“As a council, we are aware that there are complex reasons for people either not having a house or rejecting help to live in or access temporary housing.”
These come in the form of the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990, which constrains councils’ power to trespass people, particularly when they are not causing harm or affecting the safety and well-being of others.
The Self-Contained Motor Vehicle Act 2023 also has a carve-out for people who are homeless, stating that ”freedom camping infringements cannot be applied to people experiencing homelessness. Council enforcement staff should refer these people to social support agencies when appropriate.”
The council spokesperson says: “Public safety is our first priority. If people’s behaviour is causing distress or concern to the public or damaging property, then councils can and will respond. It’s not appropriate though that we issue infringements as a sole way to address the problem.”
The council is also working on a long-term homelessness action plan and housing strategy.
“We are also employing a workflow process for all those in council working in the homeless space to ensure a holistic and collective approach to managing the situation.”
* Names have been changed
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.