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to this is cost — emergency and transitional housing bills amount to about $1 million a day for the Government.

More recently, the opening of the transtasman bubble has prompted fresh discussions on the wider impacts of the current setup. In Rotorua, which has seen an influx of people in emergency housing staying in motels in the past year, questions inevitably lead back to what can practically be done to manage current needs.

Further, now New Zealand is anticipating a more regular tourist market, how do we make room for that demand and emergency housing needs? Those questions also sit alongside concerns from some locals of the longterm impacts of using motels as emergency housing. Many believe incidents of crime in the area are linked to the use of Rotorua motels as emergency housing, however this has been rejected by authorities — which say it’s a “perception” rather than reality.

Overall, it’s a conversation which reflects the difficulties of attempting to manage a problem which crosses the realms of welfare, housing, employment, poverty — and years of bad planning and poor investment in these areas.

Certainly, everyone involved, including those pushing for targeted crime statistics in emergency housing

The opening of the transtasman bubble has prompted fresh discussions on the wider impacts of the current setup.

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say. motel areas, has stated repeatedly people in emergency housing need help and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Moteliers, some of whom admit they are simply not equipped to provide appropriate support in some emergency housing situations, also seem torn as to what the right way forward is. Without business from MSD during Covid, many may not have stayed afloat.

Stories of those in emergency housing also show how complex the problem is. A woman identified as Teresa staying at Oakwood Manor motel lodge in Auckland spoke to TVNZ about her living situation last month.

Prior to the interview, a camera showed the condition of one of the Oakwood Manor rooms, which cost about $1700 per week. It was cramped, had minimal kitchen facilities and a blocked toilet that overflowed when the bathroom in the next room was used.

Teresa’s assessment of her