Focus: Homeless camp outside Central City Library removed by council and police
Video / Peter Meechum
Advertising an Auckland apartment as being in an area lacking homeless men or state tenants has been branded "totally insensitive".
Bernie Smith of the Monte Cecilia Housing Trust said it was "callous" for real estate agency Apartment Specialists to promote a unit at 36 Eden Cres in that way.
The ad says: "No homeless men are wondering [sic] the streets 'round here, no housing New Zealand folks or shelters...just high-end owner-occupiers and businessman [sic] and those kids who think they are way too clever."
This is so gross. Part of a real estate listing for an apartment in downtown Auckland I came across. pic.twitter.com/v4MJDcyHri
— Seuta‘afili Dr Patrick Thomsen (@_PatrickThomsen) January 19, 2020
Smith said it was not only wrong to claim that the Eden Cres area had no homeless people but also displayed a lack of humanity to use that in advertising.
"On any one given day, that can change. There might not be homeless people there today but events can lead to that changing tomorrow. Homeless people do gather in central business districts for very good reasons: there's potentially more safety, more support and more donations," Smith said.
The ad was criticised as "callous". Photo / supplied
The ad showed no understanding or empathy of the homeless issue which blighted New Zealand, Smith said.
Harry Jordan and Chris Turnbull are the agents seeking to sell the unit for $399,000.
Andrew Murray, director of Apartment Specialists, said he would review the ad but he defended it.
"It's a bit creative but it's trying to point out that some areas of the CBD are nicer to live in than others. For example, around Hobson St there's a huge problem with homeless people in the past few years. It's got really bad and people don't want that around their doorstep," Murray said.
Monte Cecilia chief executive Bernie Smith. Photo / Dean Purcell
"Eden Crescent is more like the Remuera of the CBD. The ad is a bit creative and I need to look at doing a review of it. But at the end of the day, we want to sell and get attention. Sometimes we push it a bit far."
Asked if Housing NZ owned any units in the block where the apartment was being sold, Murray said it did not.
The waiting list for public housing has hit a new high of nearly 14,500 households.
The recently released figure - recorded at the end of November - has more than doubled from the roughly 6000 individuals or families on the list shortly after the 2017 election, the Herald reported last week.
National is blaming Labour's housing policies and says the Government has meddled in the rental market instead of building houses.
