The Far North and Whangārei have some of the highest rates of people living without shelter in New Zealand. Photo / NZME
Northland social services and housing providers have called on the Government to urgently address rising homelessness in the region.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s latest Homelessness Insights Report shows the number of people living without shelter has increased across the country.
Apart from Auckland, the Far North and Whangārei districts had the highest estimated rates of people living without shelter, with 525, and 237 respectively, the report says.
Toddy Shepherd, the chief executive of He Korowai Trust, a transitional housing provider which supports whānau experiencing homelessness in Kaitāia, said homelessness had changed over the past seven years.
“Back then homelessness was about not having a tenancy agreement.
“Today it’s about affordability; rents are rising, and the cost of living is out the gate.
“It’s all about affordability.”
Census data shows an ongoing trend of increasing homelessness in New Zealand, with 4122 people living without shelter in 2013, 3624 people in 2018 and 4965 in 2023.
The Government report, released on July 23, cites the Far North as the territorial authority with among the highest rates, with 74.2 people living without shelter per 10,000 population.
Living without shelter is defined by the ministry as “living situations that provide no shelter, or makeshift shelter”, and include living on the street, and in improvised dwellings such as cars, tents, or garages.
Shepherd said there were currently 15 whānau sleeping in cars, some with a makeshift lean-to attached, in the former Warehouse carpark in Kaitāia each night.
“The team will go and talk to them and ask if they’ve eaten and if they want more permanent housing.
“A lot will say ‘yes’ but you’ll get the people who’ve lived this way of life for years and are comfortable with that.
“They feel they can’t do anything different.”
Shepherd said there was not enough emergency and transitional housing in the area.
Another 15 to 20 houses were desperately needed, she said.
“The Government doesn’t see what we see here in Kaitāia.
“If the Government were to put money into increasing transitional housing in the Far North, it would go a long way to solving homelessness.”
The report says Whangārei District Council also saw an increase in the number of public reports related to homelessness, from 680 in 2023 to 1066 in 2024.
At the current rate, Whangārei was forecast to reach more than 1200 reports in 2025.
Liz Cassidy-Canning, chief executive of Whare Āwhina, a Whangārei-based kaupapa Māori support provider, said the increase in homelessness was “no surprise”.
There was simply not enough housing stock in Whangārei to meet demand, she said.
“There’s been no change to circumstances in terms of homelessness need; it’s inevitable there would be growth.
“Whangārei has never had emergency housing opportunities, it’s always been limited.
“We haven’t had many options at all.”
Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi said nearly 6000 mokopuna were living in poverty across the region.
She called on Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka to “urgently answer to all whānau and mokopuna left homeless in the wake of regressive changes to emergency housing eligibility”.
“The consequences of these policy changes have hit our people hard in Te Tai Tokerau.
“The rise in rough sleeping, homelessness, and mokopuna living in cars is a clear testament to this Government’s ‘tough on poverty’ approach.”
In March 2024, the Government announced changes to emergency housing criteria, including the requirement for people to prove their need for emergency housing, and that they had not “contributed” to that need themselves.
Kapa-Kingi, who is also Te Pāti Māori’s housing spokesperson, said the changes had made it more difficult for families.
“That type of treatment puts the nail in the coffin, it makes it so much more difficult than it should be.
“It’s not the cost of living, it’s the cost of surviving for many people.
“... the harsh reality remains, our mokopuna are being raised in the back seat of a car instead of a home.”
Potaka, who is also the Māori Development and Whānau Ora Minister, said he had asked officials for advice on interventions to provide help and support to those living without shelter.
But Potaka said the Government “will not be returning to the previous Government’s large-scale emergency housing model”.
That cost more than $1m a day at its peak and was “a social disaster,” he said.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop revealed over the weekend he was waiting on urgent advice about what the Government can do about the reported rise in rough sleeping and homelessness.
He said it was worth remembering the issue has been a long-running problem.
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and animal welfare issues.