Region’s leaders condemn move on orders in letter to PM
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Community leaders, among them all Wellington region mayors, have issued a sharply worded open letter condemning the Government’s move-on orders.
The new laws, which the government says are about public safety, give police the power, at their discretion, to direct people to leave a public space for up to 24 hours.
The powers would apply to rough sleeping, begging and behaviour deemed 'disorderly, disruptive, threatening,or intimidating“ and could be used on anyone aged 14 and over.
Breaching an order risks a fine of up to $2000 or a three-month jail term.
The letter, addressed to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, has been signed by mayors from Wellington, Porirua, Kapiti, Hutt City and Upper Hutt, Mana Whenua representatives, social service agencies and local church leaders and warns the policy not only risks causing harm to people experiencing homelessness but fails to address the underlying causes of hardship.
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Describing the move as “superficial, unhelpful”, and “not welcome” the signatories note homelessness is a growing issue, being felt throughout New Zealand.
“It is a complex and multi-faceted social challenge, the responsibility for which resides with all of us. Social agencies throughout this country are working tirelessly to ensure that people in the community who are struggling, are given the support they need to change their life’s trajectory.
“We don’t consider that moving a person to some other unspecified place fixes the problem, nor does anything to address the issues that individual is dealing with, and in fact, potentially causes significant harm.”
The letter calls on the Government to work with the region on solutions that genuinely support people.
Wellington mayor Andrew Little said move on orders wouldn’t fix the underlying cause of the city’s homelessness problem and the new powers would just “kick the problem down the road”.
The proposal first surfaced publicly in November, when ministers acknowledged they were among the measures being considered to address concerns about antisocial behaviour and rising homelessness in city centres.
They have been widely criticised, including by the Council for Civil Liberties. Its chairperson Thomas Beagle says there are already laws that enable the police to arrest people for violent and disorderly behaviour.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has said that, while not agreeing with the move, his party would likely not reverse the ban once it was in place. His preference was to focus on fixing homelessness rather than changing laws.
Meanwhile in an opinion piece published in The Post yesterday Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said only people who refused to move on after being ordered to would face prosecution. “A move-on order is not a criminal charge.”
“Our main streets and town centres have been blighted by disruption and disturbance. Businesses are declining as some bad behaviour goes unchecked. It needs to stop.
“Currently, police officers have limited options to respond, particularly when it doesn’t reach the level of offending. It means many disruptive, distressing and potentially harmful acts can occur before officers have any means of intervention,” he said.
Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell jointly announced the change last month.
“This is about public safety and providing our frontline with additional enforcement powers to ensure the public can feel and are safe,” Mitchell said in the earlier statement.
“In terms of where people will be moved on to, they will be required to move a reasonable distance away from the area, as specified by the constable.
“Naturally, every situation will be different. Some people may require support services, some may not. Police have the expertise to assess and determine what support is required, if any – they do this every day.
The signatories to the letter are: Andrew Little (Wellington mayor), Ken Laban (Hutt City mayor), Peri Zee (mayor of Upper Hutt), Anita Baker (Porirua mayor), Janet Holborow (Kāpiti mayor), Kura Moeahu and Wirangi Lake (Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa ki te Upoko o te Ika a Maui), Callum Kātene and Helmut Modlik (Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira), Justin Duckworth (Anglican Bishop of Wellington), Paul Martin SM (Catholic Archbishop of Wellington), Joel Cramer (Lutheran Church), Murray Edridge (Wellington City Missioner), Bonnie Robinson (Salvation Army), Natalia Cleland (Downtown Community Ministries), Mike Hinton (He Herenga Kura), David Hanna (Wesley Community Action), Carmel McKee (Catholic Social Services Director), Serena Moran (Clinic Lead, Te Aro Health Centre), Sam Johnson (Compassion Soup Kitchen) and Manjit Grewal (EKTA New Zealand).