Rotorua emergency housing motels: Report shows police demand around motel areas

A "distressing" report has revealed crime and police callouts around emergency housing in Rotorua have risen significantly over the past three years.

Rotorua police have now admitted emergency housing has increased the demand on their resources and say staffing had not been increased during this time.

Some locals say the data vindicates their safety fears.

The police intelligence report, obtained under the Official Information Act by retired Bay of Plenty police commander Superintendent Gary Smith, has been given to the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend and shows spatial mapping comparing demand for police services in 2021 compared with 2018.

There are now more than 50 emergency housing motels in Rotorua, a number that jumped significantly following the first Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020.

The maps contained in the report, titled Intelligence Report Rotorua CBD/Fenton St Demand, show the number of offences increased significantly from 2018 to 2021.

Most of the offences in 2018 were isolated to a few clusters around the central city but by 2021 they had spread, with the whole of Fenton St and the central city seeing a significant number of offences.

The number of assaults and drug-related offending in the southern half of Fenton St increased significantly by 2021.

The data records offences and incidences. Both require police action but if a crime is detected, it is recorded as an offence. An incidence might be something such as a call to the police for suspicious behaviour but no one is found or there is no crime involved.

Rotorua MP Todd McClay described the data as "distressing" and he was making fresh calls to "close down our homeless motels now".

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said the issues had created mistrust and anxiety and she expected to soon see an announcement to end mixed-use emergency housing motels.

Retired Superintendent Gary Smith and his family have been forced to leave Rotorua because of the emergency housing situation. Photo / Andrew Warner

Smith requested the information as part of his submission in response to several resource consent applications that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has lodged to have permanent emergency housing in 13 motels for up to five years.

Smith moved back to Rotorua in 2015 to retire so he and wife Rose could prepare 33-year-old son Carl, who has Down syndrome, to be more independent.

Carl moved into his own home at Glenholme and for the first time could walk by himself along Fenton St to St Chads, a centre for people with disabilities.

The Smiths said his independence was stripped when emergency housing took over Fenton St and Carl was no longer safe walking alone.

It forced the Smiths to move to Cambridge in February, where they could set up Carl in a safe environment in case he had to one day be without his parents.

Before the move, Smith did thorough research but he said he concluded there did not seem to be a plan for an urgent end to the situation.

"We had to make the difficult decision to leave. Rotorua was meant to be our home forever so it was with a heavy heart, to be honest."

RDP_offences_and_incidences_OL

He noted the offences and incidences that did not have a specific address were plotted as the Rotorua police station at the upper end of Fenton St - but that didn't take away from the graphic showing the huge increases throughout the other areas of the central city and Fenton St.

He said while contracted security kept motels reasonably safe, it did not deal with the problems on the outskirts.

"There needs to be some significant and immediate adjustment."

Smith said putting people close together under stressful situations where there is also gang activity, drug dealing and violence was always going to cause problems.

"Rotorua has some really great people and great things going for it. The logic of what is happening makes no sense to me. The impacts are just too much for Rotorua."

Trevor Newbrook says newly revealed police data was proof of how locals felt. Photo / Andrew Warner

Restore Rotorua chairman Trevor Newbrook said the graphics showed what many of their members had been trying to prove.

"It's a horrific indictment of what is happening in Rotorua.

"I can certainly understand why all the people of Rotorua are concerned ... This shows it's not perception. It's not us being Nimbys, it's actually happening."

Inspector Phil Taikato. Photo / Andrew Warner

Rotorua police area commander Inspector Phil Taikato was reported in May 2020 as saying the feeling Rotorua was unsafe was a "perception".

However, this week he said that comment was made when social housing was in its initial stages.

He said emergency housing had increased demand on Rotorua frontline and investigation policing and there had been no extra resources given to manage the demand.

When asked if police had noticed where the people in emergency housing had come from, Taikato said: "We have noticed we are dealing with some people who have come from out of town."

Police Minister Chris Hipkins told the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend the Government had funded 108 extra police in the Bay since 2017.

"How police distribute these resources is an operational matter for them, however, I am advised that 20 more frontline police have been stationed in the Rotorua area [since 2017]."

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick. Photo / Andrew Warner

Chadwick said the report was no surprise.

"I am very aware of the impact that unmanaged, mixed-use motels are having on the community."

She said that formed part of her talks with Government ministers on Tuesday and they were aware of the impact intensification of emergency housing in the inner city was having.

"These types of issues have created anxiety and mistrust within our community and I have reinforced this with ministers."

She said she expected to see progress being made on "ending the mixed use of motels for emergency accommodation", and the referral system was changed to ensure people were only going to places that were safe and appropriately located.

Rotorua MP Todd McClay. Photo / Andrew Warner

McClay said the graphics in the report were "extremely distressing" and urgent action needed to be taken.

"This is deeply disappointing and it is disgraceful ... now we see it first-hand that it is the people of Rotorua paying the price for the Labour Government using our town as a dumping ground for their homeless problem."

McClay said he made a call "very loud and clear" on behalf of Rotorua.

"We want our town back. Close down the homeless motels now. We are sick of the excuses, we are tired of the spin, enough is enough. It is time they ended the misery that was inflicted on the people of Rotorua and the people they are dumping in these motels."

McClay said he was shocked it had taken a member of the public's Official Information Act request for this information to be released.

"They promised to be the most transparent Government but they are the direct opposite."

Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni. Photo / Andrew Warner

Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said the issues in Rotorua were the result of decades of underinvestment where not enough houses were built for the growing population.

"The majority of people in emergency housing in Rotorua are from the city,'' she said.

In her view: ''Todd McClay needs to take some responsibility for failing to advocate for more building while he was in Government. We are addressing this issue by building more housing, but in the meantime, it is important that people who urgently need help with housing can get it."

A Ministry of Social Development report released this year that looked at where the homeless had come from showed there were 343 clients who were not living in Rotorua one month before entering emergency housing in Rotorua. A total of 778 people were living in Rotorua before getting emergency housing.

In response, McClay said he believed Sepuloni's comment about the majority being from Rotorua was wrong.

Sepuloni said although houses were being built, there would be a need for emergency housing and the Government was realistic it would take time.

"We expect our reliance on motels will continue to decrease, becoming very minimal within five years."

She said the Government recognised there was a need to make changes.

Sepuloni said the Government was reviewing the emergency housing system and using lessons learned from contracting emergency housing in Rotorua.

"The final review is not far away from being complete and will guide how we deliver emergency housing across New Zealand while we build the number of public houses we need to address this problem once and for all."

She reiterated the Ministry of Social Development did not proactively move clients around New Zealand or relocate them to Rotorua.

"It asks for a valid and clear reason before any emergency housing support is provided for people who ask to relocate from outside the region, like having a family or support networks in Rotorua."

She said the ministry provided dedicated case managers and extra resources had been put in Rotorua.

The new model where motels were directly contracted by the Government, with dedicated accommodation for family groups and wrap-around services, was working well, she said.

She said more than 180 contracted emergency housing whānau have been supported into other accommodation including private rentals, and transitional and public housing since July 1, 2021.

Housing Minister Megan Woods was approached for comment but said there was nothing to add given Hipkins and Sepuloni had responded.

What people in Glenholme say about the graphics in the police report

Greta Anema

I have had no trouble but I treat people how I would like to be treated myself. I have been to a war and I know what it is like. I don't mind giving them a warm bed and food but why not make them work?

Greta Anema, Glenholme

Tracey Dender

I haven't had any issues personally but I am part of a Glenholme Facebook page and you hear about crime on there and people post about people being on their property or stealing things from their doorsteps.

Tracey Dender, Glenholme

Lyndsey Sinclair

This doesn't surprise me at all. It's terrible to see because we are a tourist place and we have friends coming to stay and they know about it. We've had terrible publicity on the TV and it's not fair. I was walking down Fenton St one day and said hello to someone and then they just started abusing me, so I kept walking.

Lyndsey Sinclair, Glenholme

Jing Pan

I still walk at night and early in the morning by myself. I'm not afraid of anything and I've not had a bad experience. If bad things happen, never let them push you down, just learn how to deal with it. They ask me for money sometimes and I just say 'sorry, I need the money too'. It would be better if you could spread them out as a problem shared makes it easier.
Jing Pan, Glenholme