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Labour leader Jacinda Ardern says National continues to underestimate the size of the housing crisis.
Over the past three months more than $12 million has been paid out in grants for homeless families to stay in motels.
The Government has also bought motels in Gisborne and Hastings for twice the most recent valuation.
Ms Ardern says it's not the first winter the government has struggled to find emergency beds.
"After particularly the likes of Te Puea Marae and the amazing work they did last winter, we thought the government would be more prepared, unfortunately they haven't been and now we're in a situation of buying hotels. I accept that we want to do everything we can to house people, make sure they're warm, dry have a roof over their head but it makes much more sense for us to have permanent state housing and social housing rather than paying private moteliers a lot of money," she says.
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