Wellington Homelessness Strategy

The New Zealand Coalition to End Homelessness (NZCEH) congratulates the Wellington City Council who endorsed ‘Te Mahana Homelessness Strategy’. The strategy is unique in incorporating a Maori perspective alongside a best practice model. The strategy also incorporate Te Tiriti Relationship governance model in the implementation of its five outcomes

Councillor Eagle, sought support to endorse Te Mahana as the homelessness strategy for greater Wellington at the Sport and Recreation Committee yesterday. In doing so Councillor Eagle acknowledged the huge amount of work from community organisations, Te Ropu Poutama, government agencies and Council staff over the past two years.

Mayor Wade-Brown in supporting the endorsement reiterated that it is every person’s right to be housed and she expected greater achievement via collaboration of agencies throughout the city. Councillor Peck sought an amendment to Counsellor Eagle’s motion which included a challenge to government to endorse and resource the implementation of Te Mahana. Council members acknowledged, during their deliberation that the homelessness population of their city were citizens that required the same attention as all their citizens. Success of Council would be measured by the lowest denominator of their city. The lives of the Robert Jones and Ben Hanna and their state of homelessness was reflected upon by Councillor Ahipene-Mercer. The motion put to Council inclusive of the amendment was passed unanimously.

‘We congratulate Wellington City Council and are extremely happy to endorse Te Mahana’ said Dr Shiloh Groot, Tangata Whenua Co-Chair of NZCEH. ‘It is extremely pleasing to see that a Maori model of resolving homelessness
sits along international best practice. Acknowledgement that reconnecting Maori to their cultural roots is a long term solution to not only stopping homelessness from occurring in the first place but also stops it from happening again’.

Corie Haddock, Tangata Tiriti Co-Chair of NZECH stated ‘Wellington City Council cannot do this on their own. Central government need to come to the party.

Homelessness comes about through a multitude of tragedies in a person’s life’ he said, ‘It is also great to see the Council of our capital city leading in the development of a homelessness strategy.

We still need a national homelessness strategy that will remove the pathways leading to homelessness and eliminate the barriers that keep people there, however.’

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