The Department of Social Services says there is an alarming number of victims. People who sleep poorly in the capitalthere is a constant flow of new people seeking help.

This comes as the government announces an order for the relocation of looms for the homeless, with legislation expected to be introduced soon.

Natalia Cleland, chief executive of the Department of Downtown Communities, said the outreach team responded to 30 to 40 people in the last two quarters of 2025, “something we’ve never seen before.”

Prior to that, from the end of 2023 to the beginning of 2025, rough sleeping increased by 40 percent every quarter.

Mr Cleland said about 160 people had been sleeping rough in Wellington over the past three months.

“While we feel it’s terrible to see so many people sleeping rough, it’s also actually quite discouraging to see new people coming through the door seeking services.”

Wellington City Missionary Murray Edridge agreed.

“There is no question in my mind that the need and desperation we are seeing in our communities is greater than anything we have ever seen.”

Edridge said this a year after the incident. The Mission’s community hub in New Town Whakamaru When it opened, 70,000 people walked through its doors, including repeat customers.

Approximately 30,000 hot meals were served, approximately 5,500 people took showers, and 6,500 people shopped at social supermarkets.

“Every day I meet people I’ve never met before at the cafe.”

“Prison is my home”

Marcus Pohio, 57, said he had been on the streets recently for about two months.

He was incarcerated at the Downtown Community Ministry for years, lost his home when he went to prison, and had been shoplifting “to survive” ever since, he said.

Pohio, who has been in and out of prison for the past 10 years, said he would ask to be sent back to prison if he appeared in court again on new theft charges.

“I feel like I belong more in prison than here. Prison is my home. In the last 10 years, I’ve probably committed about 13 crimes: drug addiction and theft, mostly theft, and just cheating.”

He is now sitting outside a Lambton Quay supermarket asking for money to buy food, he said.

The Department of Downtown Communities said it has been in contact with Pohio, who was receiving Housing First services and was on his way back to the public housing waiting list.

Pohio said he has seen a lot of new rough sleepers in the capital recently.

“There are a lot of familiar faces, but there are a lot of new people showing up from all over, from Upper Hutt and Porirua. Aucklanders are here, a lot of my friends from Auckland are here, they’re coming from Auckland hoping for a better life here.”

He heard that police were moving rough sleepers out of Courtney Place.

“All my mates have left the streets of Courtney Place. The police will move, the police will move… They’re saying take your shit and get out, go, go.”

But police community prevention manager Jason McCarthy said Wellington did not move homeless people.

“Homelessness itself is not a criminal problem, but a complex social problem that requires a multi-agency approach.”

Mr McCarthy said police may also be called in to deal with riots, threats and drug abuse, and that these issues would be handled on a “case by case” basis.

“Police are aware that there are a number of locations frequented by unhoused people across the Wellington region, but there are currently no specific locations that warrant the use of additional police resources.”

Bradley Mohr said he was homeless for 18 months in Wellington about two years ago, but is now living with his sister.

He was asking for money to pay off a debt on Willis Street on the outskirts of New World when RNZ stopped him and spoke to him.

Mohr said she has also noticed new rough sleepers on the streets.

“There’s just a lot more hustlers around… it’s just more. They probably couldn’t get the money in their town, so they’re coming to Wellington.”

Are rough sleeping cars appearing in new areas of the city?

Mr Cleland said Wellington’s inner city remained the main sleeping area for the street community.

The agency had recently received reports of people taking shelter at Charles Plimmer Park in Mount Victoria.

Mr Cleland said rough sleeping in various parts of Wellington’s urban areas was not new and varied depending on the weather.

Residents in the Shelly Bay area told RNZ they had seen a homeless encampment at the start of Shelly Bay Road in Miramar over the past two months, but people had recently packed up and left.

said Andrew Wilson, the Salvation Army core officer in Newtown. rough sleep and antisocial behavior The Wellington suburb of Newtown has seen improvements since an alarming spike last year.

“We’ve seen some of our rough sleepers being incarcerated longer than ever before. Some of them are getting the right mental health support and are now doing much better because they’re getting the support they need.”

Some moved to other parts of the city.

Mr Wilson said drugs had become an “infestation” in Newtown last year, but police had done an “amazing” job in clamping down on suppliers.

“There’s a risk that some of that will start to happen again, so we’re working closely with the police to try to keep it out of our communities, because that was a big factor in the anti-social behavior that we saw in our communities last year.”

It is unclear how far the “proceed” order will apply.

The Prime Minister said a decision on the “relocation” order for city centers would be announced soon and a bill would be tabled in the House of Commons.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith did not respond to RNZ’s questions about whether the ordered movement would apply to city centers across the country or be limited to Auckland.

A spokesperson for his office said: “The government has made a decision and will make an announcement soon. All details will be available at that time.”

Mr Edridge said the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet had sought comment on the move for rough sleeping orders before Christmas.

He said the Wellington City Mission would vigorously oppose any move under the order if it were to be carried out without support services, but he hoped that would not be the government’s approach.

The Prime Minister has said this before morning report Relocation under the order will be considered alongside assistance to the homeless.

“If transition orders are not created or imposed alongside a range of support services, they will be completely ineffective and absolutely abhorrent to our communities,” Mr Edridge said.

“The idea that you don’t do anything to address that person’s behavior because you don’t want them there or because you feel some kind of discomfort with their situation or behavior is just wrong.”

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