A still from a video purporting to show homeless people having sex under a blanket in Rotorua's CBD during the day. Photo / Supplied
A still from a video purporting to show homeless people having sex under a blanket in Rotorua's CBD during the day. Photo / Supplied
Rotorua’s mayor has defended the council’s removal of homeless people from a city street, claiming some were “s***ting, taking and selling drugs, and having sexual intercourse” in public.
Tania Tapsell’s comments came in response to Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi calling Rotorua Lakes Council’s actions to address a makeshiftcamp on Amohia St “inhumane and disgraceful”.
Council staff, supported by police, visited the camp outside the Salvation Army on Wednesday morning to hand out trespass notices to rough sleepers and clear away loose belongings.
Six people were trespassed that day, with two arrests for disorderly conduct. Four were trespassed the next day.
The council said the action was in response to escalating concerns about offensive and antisocial behaviour by rough sleepers in the area.
Retailers reported seeing public urination, alleged drug use, then, at the weekend, what appeared to be people having sex under a blanket in a doorway in the middle of the day.
Waititi said the removal of the homeless people was “callous attacks” on “vulnerable whānau”.
He said they were woken by police, trespassed like criminals and had their belongings “tipped out, broken, or hauled away like trash”, with some also arrested “for being distressed at the violent way they were being treated under cold, heartless council bylaws”.
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell and Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi have clashed over the Rotorua Lakes Council's treatment of homeless people who had set up a makeshift camp on Amohia St. Photo / Kelly Makiha
He described it as “state-sanctioned cruelty”.
“These whānau are being pushed from footpath to footpath, not into homes. In the harsh winter weather, this kind of treatment is not just unacceptable, it is dangerous.”
He said homelessness was not a lifestyle choice but a failure of successive governments.
He praised Rotorua’s social agencies, including the Salvation Army, which allowed the homeless to sleep in their doorways, for their kind actions.
“They lead with aroha, not aggression.”
Te Pati Māori co-leader and Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi. Photo / Mark Mitchell
He called on the council and the Government to do more, including building more homes and expanding mental health and addiction services.
Tapsell responded to Waititi’s statement on his Facebook page, saying in her view his comments were “overdramatic”, “radical” and “lies”.
“If you bothered to be present in Rotorua, which you barely are, you’d know these people have been intimidating and threatening others, s***ting, taking and selling drugs, and having sexual intercourse all in the public’s view and causing significant distress to the innocent families (including very young tamariki), workers and tourists walking by.”
She told the Rotorua Daily Post the council had taken action to solve an issue “causing massive concern for our community”.
The behaviour of some in the homeless group was “crossing a line”.
She said the action was carried out respectfully and “actually went smoothly”.
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell says homelessness is a complex issue. Photo / Laura Smith
“Rawiri was briefed by council staff about this, so he knows his reference to ‘callous attacks’ and ‘inhumane and disgraceful treatment’ is misleading.”
She said homelessness was a complex issue and everyone was doing their best to keep everyone safe.
“We’ll continue connecting those experiencing homelessness with the support services available to them. In my view, we need to support in a way that’s enabling the right choices, not encouraging the wrong behaviours.”
A council spokesperson said on Wednesday the council worked with agencies to encourage people to accept support and explore opportunities for stable accommodation. However, there came a point where antisocial behaviour and intimidation, and their impact on the public’s sense of safety, must be addressed.
Rotorua retailer David Young from Skingraft said the incident involving homeless people underneath a blanket in a doorway happened about 1pm on Saturday on Pukuatua St.
He said a crowd of people watched in disbelief, and some were videoing it.
The Rotorua Daily Post was sent a video showing what appeared to be two people moving underneath a blanket. People on the street were yelling out to them and a car tooted as it drove past.
Young praised the actions to move people on who were rough sleeping in the area because he said what happened shouldn’t be allowed to continue.
“What if there were children [around]?” he said.
He said customers were coming into the store saying “there are homeless people having sex” across the road.
While he didn’t personally witness it, he watched a video later that day that was circulated on social media.
He said it was the “talk of the street”.
“There are still people talking about it.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
