Haehaetu Barrett: Lifewise chief executive disagrees with Government claims about homelessness stats in New Zealand

Haehaetu Barrett: Lifewise chief executive disagrees with Government claims about homelessness stats in New Zealand

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive · 2025-06-17

A housing advocate says New Zealand's homelessness is the worst she's seen in 20 years. 

The Government's celebrating one-year of its Priority One policy - which moves families out of motel rooms into secure housing. 

Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka doesn't believe any increase in rough sleeping is due to Government policy. 

Lifewise chief executive Haehaetu Barrett says she disagrees. 

"We didn't have appropriate pipelining happening for people coming out of the motels who had been stuck there for more than two years - and a lot of the habits we've been seeing on the streets today actually started in the motels."

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Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

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