Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

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 / Rotorua Daily Post

Call to support The Big Sleepout to keep Housing First Rotorua running

Zizi Sparks
By Zizi Sparks
Multimedia journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
19 Jul, 2019 06:00 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

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

The Big Sleepout For Homeless.

Casey Tahana keeps an old ID card in his wallet. In it, his hair is unkempt and he looks scruffy. For Tahana, it's a reminder of just how far he's come since walking through Housing First's doors.

Tahana is one of at least eight people Housing First Rotorua has helped in its first 11 weeks.

He had been living in a tent in the Redwoods before getting emergency housing then a permanent home through Housing First.

Now he's paying it back as a programme volunteer.

"If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be where I am. I love to help people. They've helped me out."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Tahana had been on the street for a year and would walk from town to his tent in the Redwoods every day. After being helped by Housing First, he walked to his brother's house and got a haircut then went and got new glasses.

When he went back to the Housing First offices, the workers there couldn't believe the difference.

Housing First is a multimillion-dollar Government programme that aims to end homelessness. It launched in Rotorua on April 30 and opened its doors on May 1.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It aims to permanently house individuals and families who are homeless and support them to remain housed long-term.

Lifewise Bay of Plenty regional manager Haehaetu Barrett said the programme needed about $500,000 a year to simply survive.

Discover more

Multimillion-dollar homeless solution comes to Rotorua

24 Apr 10:00 PM
New Zealand

'For every house that sells, you make a family homeless'

24 Apr 11:00 PM

Housing First launches in Rotorua

30 Apr 04:15 AM

Expansion of Housing First in 2019 Budget

13 May 04:00 AM
The Housing First Rotorua team in the lead-up to the launch. Photo / File
The Housing First Rotorua team in the lead-up to the launch. Photo / File

That's why they are preparing for the Big Sleepout, which they hope can raise $100,000 and get 100 participants.

"The big sleepout was created to raise funds for homelessness and to end homelessness," Barrett said.

"For us to keep that programme here, we need help. We got it here, we lobbied for it, we faced a lot of challenges to get it here. Rotorua, let's step up and keep it here."

Lifewise originally did the fundraiser in 2015 and raised $40,000 which went to community groups.

"The issue around homelessness was quite a taboo topic. We had a bit of a challenge with local government, iwi and agencies [to recognise] it was even happening here."

In 2016, the organisation raised $28,000 which went towards developing Housing First.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
The pohiri for the opening of Housing First in Rotorua in April. Photo / File
The pohiri for the opening of Housing First in Rotorua in April. Photo / File

"The housing crisis had morphed on a national level. People were very aware of it and we had a little bit of traction."

This year, in the Big Sleepout, community leaders, business leaders and members of the community will fundraise for the cause before sleeping on the Village Green to get a taste of life on the streets.

The money will go back into Housing First.

In February last year, Lifewise counted 48 homeless people in Rotorua. Barrett estimates that number has tripled.

Barrett said people with "lived experiences" on the streets would be at the sleepout to share their stories.

"They've been there on the streets. They've seen the worst of the worst. The worst you can think of they've lived it and now they've found Housing First."

Among the people sharing their story will be Housing First's first employee Justin Carr, a peer support worker.

September 5, the day of the sleepout, is important for him because it's the day Barrett first met him and gave him a chance to get his life together.

The pohiri for the opening of Housing First in Rotorua in April. Photo / File
The pohiri for the opening of Housing First in Rotorua in April. Photo / File

"Now I am 11 months off all substances. I am a walking, talking example of what homeless can do when people give us an opportunity and care.

"This is what the homeless can be once empowered and encouraged."

In his role, Carr helps homeless people to "empower themselves" and get off the streets.

"To help other homeless say 'I am worthy, I can do anything once given a chance'."

Barrett said after meeting Carr on September 5 she went into a meeting with the Ministry of Social Development and spoke with conviction.

"Because I had just seen what I was fighting for."

Clinical leader Tepora Apirana said many of the people they had helped were volunteering at the programme now, giving back.

"This programme is about people and connection, not systems and processes. It's around manaaki, aroha, connecting people."

Housing First key worker Gillian Tangi helps those who walk through the programme doors and said numbers had increased.

This programme is about people and connection, not systems and processes. It's around manaaki, aroha, connecting people.

Tepora Apirana

"We've had quite a few come through the doors and every person is different. They may all be on the street but they all have different stories."

Tangi said the job was rewarding when people in need were homed. People like Casey Tahana.

"We housed him. After that Casey came in looking like this [with glasses and a haircut]. That was on his own.

"We just gave him his mana back."

• To sign up go to www.bigsleepout.org.nz/rotorua.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM

Mark 'Shark' Hohua died in June 2022 after a violent assault over money.

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

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
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • 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
TOP