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March 12, 2026
#national: Hāpai Te Hauora Warns Move-On Powers Will Not Solve Homelessness
Dale Husband
Posted On March 12, 2026
Download AudiodaleA national Māori public health organisation is warning that new move-on powers being considered for town centres risk pushing vulnerable people further into instability rather than addressing the real causes of homelessness.
Hāpai Te Hauora says policies that focus on enforcement fail to deal with the underlying social and economic pressures driving homelessness across Aotearoa.
Chief Operating Officer Jason Alexander says move-on orders may remove people from public view temporarily but do little to improve their wellbeing or provide long-term solutions.
The proposed powers would allow authorities to require individuals to leave certain public spaces if their presence is deemed to cause disruption or disorder. Advocates say that for people experiencing homelessness, such measures often mean being moved from one location to another without access to stable housing or support.
Alexander says this approach risks increasing instability for people already living in precarious circumstances. When individuals are repeatedly displaced from areas where they may have established connections with outreach workers, health services or community support networks, it can make it harder for them to access the help they need.
Public health leaders say homelessness is driven by a complex mix of factors including housing shortages, rising rents, income insecurity, family violence and gaps in mental health and addiction support services.
Hāpai Te Hauora says these structural pressures are often overlooked in policy discussions that focus on visible street homelessness rather than the deeper causes of housing insecurity.
Māori are disproportionately represented among those experiencing homelessness, reflecting broader inequalities in housing access, income levels and health outcomes.
Alexander says achieving equitable outcomes will require changes across multiple systems, including increased investment in affordable housing, stronger income support and policies that recognise the cultural and social realities facing Māori communities.
He says housing strategies should work in partnership with iwi, hapū and Māori providers who are already developing community-led solutions such as papakāinga housing and wraparound support services.
International evidence suggests that approaches focused on providing stable housing first, combined with health and social services, are far more effective than enforcement-based strategies.
Alexander says the goal should be to move people into secure housing while addressing the underlying factors that lead to homelessness in the first place.
For Hāpai Te Hauora, the message is clear: making homelessness less visible does not solve the problem. Instead, public policy must focus on the deeper drivers of poverty and housing insecurity if communities are to achieve lasting stability and wellbeing.
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