Emergency housing rejections hit new high while applications plummet
Thursday, 19 March 2026
The proportion of emergency housing rejections have soared under the current Government with the neediest New Zealanders now facing an almost four-in-10 chance of being declined – if they bother applying.
The new figures, released under Parliamentary written questions to Wellington Central MP and Green housing spokesperson Tamatha Paul, come as the Government is going through the controversial process of legislating “move-on powers” – allowing police to move people on from public places who are rough sleeping or begging.
The figures show that in early 2023, before the National-led Government came to power in October that year, emergency housing applicants had a 2.9% chance of being declined. That number was almost 38% in the quarter to September 2025, the most recent figures supplied.
The first quarter of 2023 saw 25,095 applicants versus 6312 in the September quarter. The raw number of rejections has risen each quarter.
Read more:
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“It feels like at the moment, people would be requiring more support,” said Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge. “But actually, it is not coming.”
The real need since 2023 had “increased significantly”, he said.
The number of rejections for people deemed to have “caused or contributed” to their need went from zero to 321, making it the fastest riser. Those deemed to have their need met in another way was the single biggest reason for rejection.
Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka said the Government was focused on reducing reliance on emergency housing by supporting people into stable, long-term housing meaning that, if someone was put in non-emergency housing, it was recorded as a decline in emergency housing data.
“Emergency housing is a last resort, and success is measured by more people getting into other forms of accommodation, not motels,” Potaka said, saying the drop in people in emergency housing was a sign of “significant progress”.
“The current approach is focused on better outcomes for people, not increasing reliance on emergency housing.”
Officials told him the drop in applications came down to factors including fewer people needing emergency housing and people being supported in other ways.
But Major Joe Serevi, who does inner city street outreach for the Salvation Army, said the homelessness problem was simply growing, with more young adults and women on the streets. Many did not know they could get a support person to advocate and support them as they went for help, such as emergency housing.
Paul, who said the Greens were committed to “ending homelessness”, said the drop in applications meant there were more people “living in desperation [and] giving up even trying”.
Her office was hearing of more women rough sleeping and homeless people being “preyed on” by drug dealers.
“If people and businesses don't like seeing it, they should advocate for housing and support,” she said.
Her office was working with Everybody Eats and Kaibosh arranging the national day of action against move-on orders with a community event in central Wellington on March 29.
Wellington Paekawakawa/Southern ward councillor Nureddin Abdurahman said the drop in applications was a sign of “hopelessness” after people had been rejected before.
“What I'm seeing in Newtown and Kilbirnie is a crisis. More people sleeping rough, but also more families in overcrowded homes, more people who might have a roof over their heads but are barely holding on.”
The move-on orders would simply “push people around” without solving the problem unless the Government funded more housing and wraparound support, he said.