Aotearoa New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan 2020 - 2023

The government has a vision that homelessness is prevented where possible, and when it does happen, is rare, brief and non-recurring. The Aotearoa New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan will build on and support work already underway around New Zealand and put in place essential changes to address responses to homelessness.

On this page you'll find information about the focus areas for the Homelessness Action Plan and what progress has been made.

About the Aotearoa Homelessness Action Plan  

The Aotearoa New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan (HAP), which was published in February 2020, recognises that action is needed now to prevent homelessness, increase housing supply and provide support services.   

The action plan is being delivered through a collaborative cross-government commitment from multiple agencies and partners. Responsibility for implementation and delivery of individual actions is held by initiative leads from Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Social Development, Oranga Tamariki,  Te Whatu Ora – Health NZ, Ministry of Health, Kāinga Ora, and the Department of Corrections. Homelessness Sector Services, formed by Te Matapihi he tirohanga mō te Iwi Trust and Community Housing Aotearoa, is working closely with HUD to support the development and delivery of action plan initiatives with the sector. 

Download a copy of the Homelessness Action Plan  

MAIHI and the Aotearoa New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan   

Te MAIHI o te Whare Māori – the Māori and Iwi Housing Innovation Framework for Action and the six kaupapa Māori principles (Mauri, Whakamana, Manaakitanga, Tino Rangatiratanga, Whanaungatanga, and Tikanga) are embedded within the work of the action plan. MAIHI focuses effort around both urgent actions to reduce homelessness for Māori and the deeper system changes needed to improve Māori housing. 

The action plan is based on a commitment to partner with Iwi, hapū, marae and Māori organisations, local authorities, providers, and people with lived experience of homelessness to prevent and reduce homelessness. 

The Homelessness Action Plan contains 18 immediate actions, which address the most critical points in our progress on longer term homelessness actions. Despite the ongoing pressure on the homelessness sector, all of the actions are underway with most now implemented and tracking towards their targets. Below is a snapshot of achievements to August 2022.

Read more about MAIHI  

The guiding principles for addressing homelessness

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As a Treaty partner, the government’s role is to partner with and support Māori to deliver solutions for Māori, and empower local communities to achieve Māori housing and wellbeing outcomes.

Whānau-centred and strengths-based

A whānau-centred approach to homelessness looks at a person’s needs in the context of their whānau, relationships, support networks, community and connection to a place.

Focus on stable homes and wellbeing

Preventing and reducing homelessness looks beyond providing short-term solutions to long-term sustainable housing solutions and using rapid rehousing approaches.

Kaupapa Māori approaches

Kaupapa Māori approaches are embedded in the plan, to ensure work is delivered in a way that demonstrates kaupapa Māori principles.

Supporting and enabling local approaches

The plan supports local communities to address homeless issues in their areas and provide support to respond locally, building on responses already in place. 

A team approach across agencies and communities

Addressing homelessness requires true partnerships and systems of support and housing that lead to inclusive and equitable outcomes.

Key focus areas 

The Aotearoa New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan provides a balanced approach to preventing and reducing homelessness. It supports 18 immediate actions and longer-term actions. It focuses on four main areas: 

  • Supply

    Work towards all New Zealanders having a place to call home and reducing the number of individuals and whānau staying in emergency accommodation by:  

    • urgently increasing the supply of transitional housing, while reducing the use of motels for emergency housing  
    • supporting Māori Community Housing Providers and other Iwi and Māori providers through He Kūkū ki te Kāinga funding for transitional and long-term housing in areas in need of homelessness support. 

  • Support

    Support for individuals and whānau who are experiencing homelessness to move quickly into stable accommodation and access wider social support by:  

    • piloting a rapid rehousing approach to support individuals and whānau into permanent housing to avoid a return to homelessness 
    • introducing housing broker roles to help people in emergency housing and on the public housing register who are able to sustain a tenancy  
    • better preparing people for private rental (ready to rent programmes) and preventing homelessness by partnering with organisations to increase access to private rentals through a nationally recognised and standardised programme 
    • establishing a flexible funding package for whānau with children in emergency housing to help with a range of needs where other government support is not available 
    • expanding support to more people in emergency housing by creating new roles to support people in emergency housing. 

  • Prevention

    Making sure the system supports and enables our vision and together with other agencies, housing providers, Iwi and Māori organisations, and people who have experienced homelessness, we can address homelessness by:

    • partnering with Iwi, hapū, marae and Māori organisations to prevent homelessness through whenua-based initiatives and building relationships with Māori organisations to prevent further homelessness 
    • increasing the number of Sustaining Tenancies places and providing tailored support to help people with a range of needs in order to maintain existing tenancies 
    • expanding housing support for eligible young people leaving Oranga Tamariki care, or youth justice, to support a transition into adulthood 
    • introducing pilot schemes in Auckland and Hamilton to strengthen and improve housing and responses of Mental Health Inpatient Units to support people leaving acute mental health and addiction inpatient units who are at risk of homelessness   
    • developing new accommodation places to support women leaving prison, providing them with safe and stable accommodation with reintegration support services  
    • supporting returned overseas offenders providing them with accommodation and support to reintegrate back into New Zealand Communities. 

  • System enablers

    Making sure the system supports and enables our vision and together with other agencies, housing providers, Iwi and Māori organisations, and people who have experienced homelessness, we can address homelessness by: 

    • creating the Local Innovation Partnership Fund (LIPF) to support local initiatives to respond to and prevent homelessness 
    • building the capacity and capability of Māori providers by working with Māori experiencing homelessness 
    • enabling and supporting kaupapa Māori approaches with Iwi, hapū, marae and Māori organisations 
    • ongoing involvement of people with lived experience of homelessness to inform policy, delivery and design work at a local, regional and national level 
    • improving evidence and data on homelessness to build a stronger evidence base for informing responses to homelessness and funding decisions, based on New Zealand data and information. 

How we're tracking: progress on the Homelessness Action Plan

The HAP contains 18 immediate actions, which address the most critical points in our progress on longer term homelessness actions. Despite the ongoing pressure on the homelessness sector, all of the actions are underway with most now implemented and tracking towards their targets. Below is a snapshot of achievements to August 2022.

Progress March 2022 – August 2022

Increased the number of sustaining tenancies places

Continue to deliver sustaining tenancy places. As at August 2022 there were 2,202 places contracted.

Expanding transitional housing places

The target of 1,005 places were achieved in February 2021. The Public Housing Plan 2021-2024 also funds an additional 2,000 transitional housing places.

Piloting a rapid rehousing approach

Nine hundred and eighteen individuals and whānau engaged in the programme with 311 individuals and whānau transitioned into permanent housing.

Read more about Rapid Rehousing.

Supporting young people leaving Oranga Tamariki care

Ninety-nine places were delivered for young people leaving Oranga Tamariki care.

Completed round two of the Local Innovation and Partnership Fund

Up to $6 million was allocated in round two of the fund, supporting the development and implementation of local initiatives that respond to and prevent homelessness.

Previous funding rounds

Supporting people leaving acute mental health and addiction inpatient units

Forty-five Tangata Whaiora transitioned to housing from acute mental health units across pilot sites in Auckland and Waikato.

Supporting people into housing independence

Twenty-one housing brokers in place to assist clients to access rental housing.

New accommodation places for women leaving prison

Twenty-six women have entered the service across Te Aroha and Hamilton since the initiative began.

Longer-term actions 

Longer-term actions are underway to support housing providers and strengthen their capabilities and capacity to work on reducing homelessness.  We will provide updates on these in our regular progress reports. We’ve committed to publicly reporting on HAP’s progress every six months. 

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