Homeless on Marine Parade: Tents and belongings taken away before Napier’s Art Deco weekend

Tents and belongings of the homeless living on and around Napier’s Marine Parade beach were removed at the time of the city’s Art Deco festival, with Napier City Council claiming the area was “not a suitable environment” and that there were ongoing talks with those who reside there.

But one of those living there daily begged to differ, saying the homeless aren’t causing any harm and there were multiple other ways to ensure everyone lived there harmoniously.

Jim, who spends his days helping others who decide to live on the beach, said he’d noticed people issuing trespass notices and seizure warnings to the homeless and removing tents, as well as experiencing it himself on multiple occasions.

He said many of those whose belongings were taken came back soon after or moved positions. When Hawke’s Bay Today visited the beach on Tuesday, there were only a few tents around the grass area next to the beach, including his.

“I think it’s the council and the image they want to show,” he said.

“They see us like larrikins or undesirables, but we’re just out here to live and survive. We’re not bothering anyone.”

He also believed there was opposition from nearby residents about people living on the beach, leading to widespread trespassing.

“I’ve seen a few of those notices down on the beach.”

Rachael Bailey, council’s executive director of city strategy, said council had worked with about five groups of people around the shoreline over several months after concerns from the community.

“Some people had more than one tent and some tents were unoccupied as people had moved on. Each individual has different wants and needs, and we have been working with them all individually for some time to get them better supported and into a more suitable situation.

“Council and community are concerned and recognise that it’s not a suitable environment for a number of reasons. There are no amenities, and we are also aware that Fenz are clearing driftwood from this area to prevent fires.”

Bailey also said that there were options for people to be accommodated, and the council was encouraging those people by the beach to take up those options.

“We’ve been working closely with police, Whatever It Takes Trust and Housing First, Department of Corrections, Ministry of Social Development and Te Whatu Ora, and also with the people involved on better solutions for them.

“For those people who didn’t take their belongings with them initially, we put them into storage for them, and they will retrieve them whenever they are able to.”

Debris removal is ongoing on Napier's Marine Parade beach, with council saying it poses a risk to the homeless living there. Photo / Warren Buckland

Jim thinks a permanent space for tents and camping in the carpark area would be a good long-term solution to help and encourage the homeless community.

“There’s a carpark sitting there that’s meant to be a freedom carpark; I was thinking, why can’t they just have some allocated spaces there and fence them off?”

Ministry of Social Development regional commissioner Karen Bartlett said there was no waiting list for emergency housing in Napier and that overall demand for emergency housing had declined in Napier and around New Zealand.

“As at December 31, 2023, there were 135 households in emergency housing in the Napier City TLA. This is an 11.76 per cent decrease compared to December 31 2022, when there were 153 households in emergency housing in Napier,” she said.

She encouraged anyone sleeping rough to contact MSD.

“Emergency housing is a last resort. If someone asks for housing assistance, our first move is to look at all their other options to avoid homelessness.

“This could include exploring private rental options they can afford, financial support to help them stay with family or friends, help with rent if they’re behind, help with paying bond for a new property, help negotiating with landlords to retain a tenancy, paying bond and rent in advance for a new place, financial assistance with moving costs, or offering a landlord tenancy costs cover.”

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.