Homelessness is becoming an increasingly visible and complex issue in Tauranga, with community groups, council agencies and social services reporting more people living without safe, secure housing in the city’s central areas.
Local data shows that more than 600 homelessness-related calls were made in Tauranga last year – up significantly from 423 in 2023 – reflecting a sharp rise in concern from the public about people sleeping rough or living without stable accommodation. Reports early in 2025 also show more people experiencing homelessness compared with the previous summer months.
Tauranga authorities and community partners are taking steps to respond to the crisis through collaborative action plans known as Kāinga Tupu, working with local providers and developing homelessness dashboards to better understand and track the issue in the Western Bay of Plenty.
Despite these efforts, informal counts suggest there may be far more people without reliable housing than official figures capture. Some frontline services estimate dozens of rough sleepers in Tauranga alone, while broader surveys found around 2.8 percent of Tauranga’s population living in some form of homelessness – including in cars, tents or overcrowded living situations – though many aren’t reflected in formal counts.
Experts say homelessness isn’t just about people sleeping rough; it also includes those stuck in temporary, unsafe, crowded or substandard housing and whānau sharing accommodation because they have no other options. These indicators are part of a nationwide framework used to understand and measure homelessness.
This challenge is not unique to Tauranga. Across Aotearoa, homelessness has been increasing.
In many of New Zealand’s major urban centres – including Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and Whangārei – community groups and councils report more people without secure housing or at risk of losing their homes due to high living costs, rental shortages and rising rents.
Māori whānau experience homelessness at disproportionate rates compared with the general population, a longstanding trend confirmed by research and homelessness statistics. Māori are overrepresented in housing deprivation figures, a reflection of entrenched inequalities in the housing market, access to affordable homes, income disparities and intergenerational disadvantage.
Housing experts and advocacy groups say the situation is rooted in broader social and economic pressures – including the lack of affordable, quality housing, long waitlists for social housing, and gaps in support services that could help prevent families from becoming homeless in the first place.
As communities and councils work together on local responses – from outreach services to collaborative action plans – advocates also call for national leadership, more social housing, and stronger support systems to protect whānau and ensure everyone has a safe place to call home.
