NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Covid 19 coronavirus: Rough sleeping all but eliminated in New Zealand as pandemic crisis frees up motels and housing

Isaac Davison
By Isaac Davison
Senior Reporter·NZ Herald·
21 May, 2020 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Local Focus: Community comes together for the homeless in lockdown
Less services available calls for creative community solutions. Made with funding from NZ On Air. ...
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
0:00
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Less services available calls for creative community solutions. Made with funding from NZ On Air.
      NOW PLAYING • Local Focus: Community comes together for the homeless in lockdown
      Less services available calls for creative community solutions. Made with funding from NZ On Air. ...

      Rough sleeping in New Zealand was all but eliminated in just six weeks during the Covid-19 lockdown.

      Charities who work with the homeless say there are only a handful of people left on the streets in all of the major centres, some of whom had refused help.

      The organisations are tentatively and quietly celebrating the milestone, which was a distant goal before the Covid-19 lockdown.

      "It feels like an amazing achievement," said Zoe Truell, a manager at Lifewise. "It is something we couldn't have dreamed of being possible or actually happening two months ago."

      "It would be wrong to say we have done 100 per cent," said Auckland City Missioner Chris Farrelly. "But it's the closest we've come in a generation to getting everyone off the street."

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Non-government organisations (NGOs) in Rotorua and Wellington reported similar success.

      "On the face of it, almost the entire street living community is now housed," said Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge.

      "Potentially, we may be the only capital city in the world that doesn't have a street living community right now."

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      The bigger challenge - keeping them off the street permanently - is yet to come. Many more people are expected to be made homeless as the economic downturn bites. And placing people with high needs in motels for months could create new problems.

      There are also many more "invisible" homeless living in garages and other substandard or insecure housing.

      READ MORE:
      • 'Lock and leave' apartments blamed for high number of empty homes in Auckland CBD
      • Premium - National blames 'state house for life' policy for growing waiting list. Officials say it's not that simple
      • Premium - Community Housing Providers say more than 500 homes 'gathering dust' during housing crisis
      • Government is building more public houses than any time in the last 20 years. But the queue for them keeps getting longer

      But Government and NGOs believe the pandemic has presented a rare chance to eliminate rough sleeping because of the sudden availability of affordable housing and accommodation.

      Discover more

      New Zealand

      Budget 2020: Housing providers ready to build 8000 new public houses - but say more needed

      14 May 01:32 AM
      New Zealand

      Budget 2020: Auckland could get 2600 new public houses to tackle homelessness

      14 May 04:41 AM
      New Zealand

      'She did not want her children to become homeless again'

      19 May 12:10 AM

      A large number of motels, units, and Airbnb properties were vacant because of the dramatic drop-off in tourists, international students, and businesspeople who commuted to major centres for work.

      NGOs are now racing to lease them and expand their housing stock.

      "We will either grab it or lose it," said Farrelly.

      "It's the closest we've come in a generation to getting everyone off the street." Chris Farrelly said the pandemic had prompted a remarkable response to homelessness. Photo / Dean Purcell
      "It's the closest we've come in a generation to getting everyone off the street." Chris Farrelly said the pandemic had prompted a remarkable response to homelessness. Photo / Dean Purcell

      A preliminary study by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development found that 1400 people in insecure housing around New Zealand were moved into motels during the Covid-19 lockdown to prevent them from contracting or spreading the virus. Around 640 of them had been sleeping on the street or in a car.

      Housing Minister Megan Woods said the Government would guarantee them accommodation until at least next April.

      It has put aside $107m to house 1200 people, which Woods said would allow "breathing room" for permanent houses to be found. Around 400 people are no longer expected to need their motel rooms once New Zealand is in alert level 1.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Homelessness has long been a social and political shame for this country, and the most glaring symptom of a housing crisis. The speed at which nearly every rough sleeper was housed in March and April raised questions about why it could not have been done earlier.

      Housing Minister Megan Woods said the Government's job was not yet done, and the next challenge was finding permanent homes for rough sleepers. Photo / Hagen Hopkins (Getty)
      Housing Minister Megan Woods said the Government's job was not yet done, and the next challenge was finding permanent homes for rough sleepers. Photo / Hagen Hopkins (Getty)

      Woods said ending homelessness was always the Government's goal but the Covid-19 situation just accelerated it. She also noted the unique circumstances which the pandemic had created, in particular the sudden availability of temporary and permanent housing.

      "It was a silver lining that came about under Covid," she said. "We were well positioned to move quickly."

      Woods also stressed that housing people in motels was not a permanent solution.

      "Our responsibility and challenge as a Government is to now make sure that we … don't return to how things were before."

      Hamon Ra Toy, Lisa Ann McKimmon and their daughter Sire Ra were living in a tent on Waiheke Island when Covid arrived in New Zealand. They have been placed in a motel in Epsom. Photo / Michael Craig
      Hamon Ra Toy, Lisa Ann McKimmon and their daughter Sire Ra were living in a tent on Waiheke Island when Covid arrived in New Zealand. They have been placed in a motel in Epsom. Photo / Michael Craig

      Among those who were placed in a motel during lockdown were Hamon Ra Toy, Lisa Ann McKimmon and their 3-year-old daughter Sire Ra.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      The family had been living in a tent on Waiheke Island for three months, after unexpectedly having their lease ended on a rental property in Titirangi.

      They only became aware of the seriousness of the pandemic when they ferried into the Auckland CBD for a doctor's appointment the day before New Zealand went to alert level 4.

      "We just panicked," said Toy, who was recovering from open heart surgery. The family feared living in a tent or their car while the country was locked down. They contacted Lifewise, who found them a motel room within an hour.

      "We landed on our feet," Toy said. "We would literally be freezing in a tent somewhere."

      McKimmon said she had never struggled to find a rental property until recently.

      "It's definitely harder. But we're stronger now. Stronger than we've ever been."

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Subscribe to Premium
      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from New Zealand

      New Zealand

      Victims of triple-fatal crash in Waiuku were adult and two children

      New Zealand

      How to invest in commercial and industrial property

      Watch
      New Zealand

      Fresh plea for safe parking for night shift staff at Christchurch Hospital

      Watch

      Sponsored

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Recommended for you

      Woman blindsided to learn family home at risk of mortgagee sale
      Business

      Woman blindsided to learn family home at risk of mortgagee sale

      'Why did you punch me?': College coach claims referee assaulted him after heated first XV clash
      Rugby

      'Why did you punch me?': College coach claims referee assaulted him after heated first XV clash

      Victims of triple-fatal crash in Waiuku were adult and two children
      New Zealand

      Victims of triple-fatal crash in Waiuku were adult and two children

      UK children set for anti-misogyny lessons
      World

      UK children set for anti-misogyny lessons

      Star reveals she had to be hospitalised after wearing tight pants
      Entertainment

      Star reveals she had to be hospitalised after wearing tight pants

      Apple TV+'s 'Severance' leads Emmy nods with 27 nominations
      Entertainment

      Apple TV+'s 'Severance' leads Emmy nods with 27 nominations



      Latest from New Zealand

      Victims of triple-fatal crash in Waiuku were adult and two children
      New Zealand

      Victims of triple-fatal crash in Waiuku were adult and two children

      The route is dubbed ‘roller coaster road’ by local residents.

      15 Jul 07:59 PM
      How to invest in commercial and industrial property
      New Zealand

      How to invest in commercial and industrial property

      Watch
      15 Jul 07:54 PM
      Fresh plea for safe parking for night shift staff at Christchurch Hospital
      New Zealand

      Fresh plea for safe parking for night shift staff at Christchurch Hospital

      Watch
      15 Jul 07:47 PM


      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
      Sponsored

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

      06 Jul 09:47 PM

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
      Subscribe now

      All Access Weekly

      From $2 per week
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All Access Annual

      Pay just
      $449
      $49
      per year ongoing
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search