New Zealand Introduces Move-On Orders to Deal With Homelessness

The New Zealand government has given police new move-on powers to deal with anti-social behaviours in city centres—particularly in Auckland.

However, advocates fear the powers will be used primarily to drive homeless people into the suburbs where they will be unable to access support and will become an issue for home owners.

Announcing the new laws, Minister for Auckland Simeon Brown said it was “a key part of the government’s action plan to create a thriving Auckland city centre.”

Similar to those in use in Australian states and territories, the orders will permit police to require someone to leave a specified area for up to 24 hours.

“Move-on orders give the police an important tool to address antisocial behaviour that makes people feel unsafe,” he said. “When people are intimidating others, blocking doorways, or engaging in threatening behaviour, the police need the ability to act.”

He pointed out that the centre of the country’s largest city, home to over 1.81 million people, contributes around 8 percent of GDP and serves as the point of entry for the majority of incoming tourists.

Work Underway on Homelessness

Work was being done to address homelessness, Brown said, with 146 people placed in housing by the end of January, up from 33 when the government’s housing initiative was announced in November 2025.

“Our approach balances support with accountability. We’re helping those who need housing and mental health services, while taking firm action against behaviour that intimidates others,” he said.

But critics pointed to the fact that the new powers would extend to every city centre, and apply to people as young as 14, with police being responsible for deciding what, if any, support a person may need.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith confirmed this, with Goldsmith saying he believed New Zealanders were “fair-minded people” who would see the need for the measures.

“Our main streets and town centres have been blighted by disruption and disturbance. Businesses are declining as some bad behaviour goes unchecked. It needs to stop,” he said.

“Currently, police officers have limited options to respond, particularly when it doesn’t reach the level of offending. It means many disruptive, distressing, and potentially harmful acts can occur before officers have any means of intervention. It doesn’t make sense.”

Fixing this hole in the law would help in “building a future where shoppers, visitors, residents and their families can feel safe in our communities,” Goldsmith added.

Retailers Welcome Move, With Reservations

Retail NZ welcomed the move, saying it “may provide relief from individuals who are continuing to display antisocial behaviours.”

Nonetheless, the peak body expressed caution about the policy’s long-term effectiveness, noting that the move-on order would apply for only 24 hours and require police attendance to be enforced.

“We do have some concerns about moving on people who are ‘rough sleeping’ and where they would be able to move to if they have no home? Will they just be moved on to another area and in front of other retailers?” said Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young.

These concerns have long bothered critics of the proposal.

When the policy was first floated in November of last year, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) wrote an open letter to New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and other ministers, pointing out that the number of people rough sleeping in Auckland had increased by 90 percent, from 426 in September 2024 to 809 in May 2025.

The group directly attributed the increase to government policies such as funding cuts to public and emergency housing programs.

“Criminalising homeless people is ineffective,” CPAG said.

“The solution to homelessness is building the infrastructure in our city centre for care and connection: building public housing at scale that will create stable foundations for people, resourcing the services that support our neighbours to be well, and creating public spaces where every Aucklander can feel at home.”

Criticisms from Opposition

Labour’s Auckland spokesperson, Carmel Sepuloni, was critical of the lack of support for the homeless.

“Moving someone from one doorstep to the next does not fix homelessness. Move-on powers don’t build homes or connect people with support,” she said in a statement.

“Slapping fines or threatening prison time on those who can’t afford a safe place to sleep or something to eat is disgraceful.”

Meanwhile, Green MP Tamatha Paul posted a video of herself asking Finance Minister Nicola Willis about the cost of imprisoning homeless people who disobey the orders, which she said could run as high as NZ$200,000 (US$169,000) a year—more expensive than the cost of housing them.

“The government implied that homeless people are criminals or are somehow not upholding law and order,” Paul said. “Just remember that when they say they need to move homeless people on to make cities or businesses safer, that homeless people are actually the group who are the most unsafe or at risk themselves.”