26/02/2026
We are outraged with the recently announced move on orders that will impact many of our kainga kore whanau in urban areas across Aotearoa, lets remember that many places across the country do not have any supported youth housing which we encourage the government to consider when issuing such legislation without the necessary resources that should be available to those living without safe, warm, dry shelter- we can do better,.
No where internationally that has had move on orders for those who are rough sleeping or begging solved homelessness.
Please read and share our press statement far and wide with your hapori and organisations.🙏🏾🙏🏾
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE USE
23rd February 2026
National Advocates Warn: Move On Orders Are a Fast Track to Prison, Not Housing
Across Aotearoa New Zealand, at least 112,500 people are severely housing deprived, and a national youth homelessness collective says new move on order powers will make the crisis worse, not better.
The Government recently announced that it will give police power to issue move-on orders, including for rough sleeping and “behaviour indicating an intent to inhabit a public place.” The orders will apply to anyone aged 14 or older.
Manaaki Rangatahi, a national youth homelessness collective currently partnering with Mā Te Huruhuru on youth street outreach in Auckland, says this effectively criminalises being young and having nowhere to go, and is calling on the Government to replace enforcement with a fully funded National Youth Homelessness Strategy.
“Move on orders do not move youth on to safety. They move them further underground, further from help, and further from any real chance at stability,” said Bianca Johanson, Pou Ārahi of Manaaki Rangatahi. “These are not adults who have fallen on hard times. These are our young people.”
The Government’s own Homelessness Insights report, released June 2025, shows the situation is deteriorating rapidly. The number of people living without shelter has increased since the 2023 Census estimate of 4,965, and emergency housing applications declined jumped from 4% in March 2024 to 32% in March 2025. Oranga Tamariki has separately confirmed that young people leaving care are finding it “increasingly difficult” to access emergency accommodation, noting that existing services are oversubscribed, under-resourced, and built for adults, not rangatahi.
Johanson says trust is the foundation of everything the organisation does, and enforcement destroys it. “When the state responds to a young person’s visible presence in public with a fine, it sends one message: you are a problem to be moved, not a person to be supported. That drives young people away from the very services that could save them.”
Police Minister Mark Mitchell has said police will assess and determine what support is required “if any.” Manaaki Rangatahi says that framing is deeply concerning. The Government’s own data shows the most common reason people are homeless is family or relationship breakdown, followed by loss of employment, legal issues, mental health and addiction, and domestic abuse. These are not situations resolved by being told to move a reasonable distance away.
Manaaki Rangatahi is calling for duty-to-assist legislation requiring every government agency, including Oranga Tamariki, youth justice facilities and hospitals, to support those experiencing homelessness to find suitable housing. “Housing is a right, not a fight,” Johanson said. “We are ready to work alongside the Government to build real solutions, but young people cannot wait.”
For media enquiries contact:
Bee/Bianca Johanson
Pou Ārahi, Manaaki Rangatahi
[email protected]
021 263 6209
