Tamihere campaign: Industry says candidate's begging policy is designed to be 'provocative'

Wednesday, 14 August 2019

Meet the Candidate: John Tamihere.

Provocative and poorly thought out.

That is Social Workers Association boss Lucy Sandford-Reed's reaction to Auckland mayoral candidate John Tamihere's controversial homelessness and begging policy.

The new plan, unveiled Sunday, was headlined by a promise to create an 0800-JACINDA hotline to report homeless people.

Social workers, he says, would have to change their hours of work under his policy.

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'Under my mayoralty, you will be able to ring 0800-JACINDA (522-4632) and a person all loving and caring that knows everything about your wellbeing will answer the phone and they will be able to dispatch a social worker that can work with that particular beggar in that particular hood,' it reads.

Homeless people beg for money in the Auckland CBD. Under Tamihere's new policy, members of the public could call a hotline to report beggars.

'Under no circumstances should any Auckland citizen have a fit of conscience and believe they are doing any fellow Aucklander a favour by handing over donations to a beggar.'

Stuff asked Tamihere how, as Auckland Mayor, he would make social workers change their hours.

He responded with a written statement sent by campaign manager Joe Lose.

'Social workers are paid by contract and you alter hours – like truck drivers and police – just like other workers have to at times,' he said.

A homeless person sleeps on their belongings in Queen St, Auckland. Tamihere says this qualifies as causing a nuisance.

Sandford-Reed said Tamihere's plan was 'not well thought through'.

'One could be cynical and say he's being provocative and in a way belittling the social work profession,' she said.

If Auckland Council was to hire its own social workers setting hours would be 'entirely their business'.

But most social workers worked elsewhere, with the majority employed by Oranga Tamariki, District Health Boards and other not-for-profits.

She also questioned where social workers would take beggars after picking them up. Tamihere had promised to boost social housing levels, but these projects would be several years from completion.

Tamihere claimed New Zealand, and particularly Auckland, had enough social workers to work 'one-on-one with each person found on the streets'.

The profession needed to 'wake up to the fact that social work is a 24/7 job', he said, before adding their would be a requirement to work three shifts.

Sandford-Reed, however, indicated the profession was already stretched, with the Aotearoa New Zealand Social Workers Association advertising 20 to 40 vacancies weekly.

According to data from the Homeless Count in September 2018, at least 3674 people were without shelter or in temporary accommodation across the Auckland region,

Tamihere said under his mayoralty homeless causing nuisance, by rough sleeping rough in the street, would be asked to accompany a social worker.