Violence, drugs and vandalism around homeless motels seen as 'destroying our city', Rotorua mayor says

Friday, 18 March 2022

ACC Minister Carmel Sepuloni is on a mission to ensure the no-faults injury compensation and treatment scheme fairly covers women's injuries.

Drug use, violent behaviour, vandalism and other anti-social behaviour on a daily basis is “destroying our city”.

That’s what Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick told Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni about Rotorua’s emergency housing motels, in a letter obtained by Stuff via an Official Information Act request.

Chadwick also raised the issue of the Ministry of Social Development bringing homeless people from outside Rotorua to the city in her letter, dated November 24, 2021.

“We have had members from our emergency housing community standing up at public meetings and announcing that they have come here from places like Gisborne and Ōpōtiki with bus tickets and vouchers provided by MSD,” she said.

Since Covid has hit, Rotorua motels have been filled with homeless clients instead of tourists. PIctured are motels on Fenton Street.

* Rotorua moteliers fear penalties for refusing unwanted emergency housing guests

* Police, Social Development Ministry not collecting data on crime at emergency housing

* Government can't put a figure on damage costs paid to emergency housing motels

* Rotorua has become a 'dumping ground' for the country's homeless, some locals claim**

“We are extremely concerned MSD continues to allow accommodation voucher holders to choose to live in motel accommodation of their choice.”

Sepuloni and Housing Minister Megan Woods had announced back in May 2021 a switch to directly contracting Rotorua motels for emergency housing, making “wrap-around support services” easier to deliver.

Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick didn’t pull any punches in the two letters to the Minister, citing “drug use, violent behaviour, vandalism and other anti-social behaviours” she said were a daily occurrence.

Woods said the change would “bring certainty to the Rotorua accommodation sector by having motels used exclusively for emergency housing, and help ensure there is separate suitable accommodation facilities for domestic and international visitors”.

Sepuloni’s response to Chadwick’s letters came about three months after the first missive, and said it was a “complex” issue and MSD “is not able to take responsibility for people’s behaviours” but offers support.

Chadwick wrote that she believed Rotorua’s generosity “has been taken advantage of”.

“Our community is suffering due to drug use, violent behaviour, vandalism and other anti-social behaviours that they are seeing on a daily basis, in the proximity of the motels providing emergency housing,” she said.

“The perception is that those living in emergency accommodation are destroying our city and its reputation.”

Former New Zealand first deputy and Rotorua mayoral candidate Fletcher Tabuteau has also come out swinging on the issue, telling Stuff he has seen internal MSD documents he believes show homeless people have been brought into Rotorua from outside the city.

He said MSD policy had “created a ghetto on Fenton St”.

He said he had seen pages of documents listing people now in Rotorua from “everywhere”.

“There's an example here of a person being transferred from the Wellington night shelter. A person from the Kaitaia motor lodge, someone from Greymouth,” he said.

“It's about 170 names and they're only recorded because they're receiving the emergency housing grant and have been transferred to Rotorua. Whether that's transferred by MSD or self-referral I cannot say.”

Tabuteau also said MSD denials “stretches credulity”.

“At what cost are we housing people from around the country. We have to get back to our core business, tourism.”

Former NZ First deputy leader and Rotorua Mayoral candidate Fletcher Tabuteau said he has seen internal MSD documents that prove homeless people from outside the city were being housed in Rotorua, a claim the MSD denied.

In a response sent after this story was published, MSD Bay of Plenty regional commissioner Mike Bryant said Tabuteau “appears to have misinterpreted some information that was recently provided by MSD in an OIA data release”.

“This isn’t a list of previous addresses for clients who are currently in Rotorua emergency accommodation. This is in fact a list of places that clients from Rotorua have stayed in emergency housing in other parts of the country – these include the Wellington Night Shelter, the Kataia Motor Lodge.”

Tabuteau, however, said he was “happy to stand on the information I have”.

“There have been multiple eyes interpret this data the same way I have.”

Chadwick also raised fears the accommodation is “fundamentally unsuitable in a Covid environment, particularly given our itinerant population is also less likely to be vaccinated”.

Chadwick’s fears were realised in January when two people tested positive for Covid at one of the motels.

A second letter, dated February 15, 2022, was sent by Chadwick to Sepuloni.

She said she wrote again as “neither Mr Morrison [Monty Morrison, Te Arawa Covid Hub chair] nor I have received a response from your Ministry to the distressing information that we shared”.

“In our previous letter we highlighted that our community was suffering on a daily basis due to drug use, violent behaviour, family violence, vandalism and other anti-social behaviours,” she said.

Concerns about Covid spreading in emergency housing motels were later realised. This notice appeared outside a Rotorua motel back in January.

“We have lost any community empathy and support and council has been forced to invest in security patrols, cameras and additional cleaning and maintenance. This is not sustainable.”

She also referenced the Covid outbreak at one motel, “as we predicted”.

“This is another factor that puts our whole community at risk.”

In a response letter from Sepuloni to Chadwick, dated February 22 this year, the Minister said “I understand the concerns you have raised and am committed to supporting Rotorua in all ways available”.

“Although the Government has an ambitious public housing programme, the supply of public and affordable housing in has not yet met the demand in Rotorua.”

Sepuloni said the emergency housing issue in Rotorua was “complex”, but with continued cooperation she believed “we will be able to effectively address some of these issues”.

She also said MSD was aware support was still needed for people in “non-contracted emergency housing”.

“To help address this MSD has extended intensive support services provided to singles and couple staying in non-contracted emergency housing in Rotorua.”

She also said “wider system changes are being explored”.

“I acknowledge that anti-social behaviour may occur in our communities and that you express concern for those living in emergency housing and the wider community,” she said.

“Although MSD is not able to take responsibility for people’s behaviours, MSD provides support to help individuals manage their journey towards sustainable housing.”

MSD Bay of Plenty regional commissioner Mike Bryant also provided Stuff with a statement in relation to questions raised from Tabuteau’s claims.

“MSD does not proactively move clients around New Zealand or relocate them to Rotorua,” he said.

“Our clients make their own choices about where they want to live.”

Bryant said “the vast majority” of households supported by MSD with emergency housing in Rotorua are local.

He also cited under-investment in housing, land shortages, population growth, rising rents and a lack of affordable houses as adding to the homelessness problem.

“This is why MSD and many other agencies are working hard to ensure whānau who are experiencing housing distress get the extra support they need to get back on their feet and move into sustainable, long-term housing,” he said.

“The housing shortage is being felt across the country, and more supply will contribute greatly to reducing the number of Rotorua whānau who are in housing distress.”