New research is sounding the alarm on a rapidly worsening homelessness crisis in Aotearoa, with Māori communities bearing the brunt of the impact.
Analysis led by Dr Harpreet Singh shows Māori rough sleeping has more than doubled under the current coalition government, pointing to a sharp escalation in housing insecurity. The findings highlight how recent policy shifts are not only failing to reduce homelessness but are intensifying it for those already most vulnerable.
The research identifies a combination of housing and welfare policy settings introduced by National, ACT and NZ First as key drivers. Changes to emergency housing access, tighter eligibility criteria, and reduced state support have created a system where fewer whānau can access stable accommodation. At the same time, broader cost-of-living pressures and limited availability of affordable housing have compounded the strain.
A major flashpoint has been the government’s Motel Exit policy, which has seen many families moved out of emergency motel accommodation. Community organisations report that this transition has happened faster than sustainable housing solutions can be found, leaving some whānau with no viable alternatives. The result has been an increase in people living in cars, overcrowded housing, or sleeping rough.
Dr Singh’s work points to structural inequities as a critical factor behind the disproportionate impact on Māori. Longstanding disparities in income, employment, and access to housing mean policy changes are felt more severely, accelerating displacement and instability.
With homelessness rising sharply, the risks facing Māori whānau are intensifying. These include deteriorating physical and mental health, disruption to education for tamariki, increased exposure to violence, and deeper entrenchment of poverty. The research suggests that without immediate intervention, these outcomes will worsen and become more difficult to reverse.
The crisis is increasingly being framed by advocates as the result of policy choices rather than inevitability. Evidence-based responses identified in the research include expanding access to secure, long-term public housing, strengthening tenant protections, increasing income support, and investing in kaupapa Māori housing solutions designed by and for Māori communities.
As pressure grows, the findings add weight to calls for urgent action to stabilise housing and prevent further harm, particularly for those already facing the sharpest edges of the crisis.
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