Christchurch homelessness rises despite city’s economic growth

Christchurch may be emerging as the country’s economic star – but homelessness is on the rise, with around 300 people now living on the Garden City’s central streets.

Christchurch City Mission says around 48 new faces appeared in the CBD last month alone.

But City Missioner Corinne Haines said that’s only those confident enough to ask for help.

“People say there isn’t a homelessness problem in Christchurch, but that is not the case. It’s that they’re not as visible in the centre of the city because they’re out in the suburbs – and what you don’t see, you don’t think’s happening.”

She said the figure also doesn’t include an increasing number camping out in cars, sheds and tents in the suburbs.

“Normally when winter comes, you’d get a bit of a decrease because cold weather means that people like to be inside, but we haven’t yet seen that yet.”

The City Mission is also seeing “more people from all walks of life” struggling.

“We are seeing more elderly people and even people on JobSeeker benefits and working people,” Haines said.

The eastern side of the city has emerged as a homelessness hotspot. It includes the area of last year’s Holy Trinity church encampment - where dozens of people set up camp, before Christchurch City Council declared the area unsuitable for camping and issued an abatement notice.

The quake abandoned residential Red Zone and Bexley Road, where portable toilets have been installed following complaints about people toileting in public spaces, are also in the eastern suburbs.

Christchurch City Council has acknowledged homelessness remains a significant issue.

In official information, released to NZME, the council revealed it had contributed $560,000 over three years to the City Mission Outreach Team and spends around $720 a week on services like portable toilets in known encampment areas.

The Council’s community support and partnerships head John Filsell said agencies have reported both an increase in the number of people being successfully housed – and a growing number needing their services.

“People without homes camping in the Red Zone have increased,” Filsell said.

He said the council is focused on working alongside existing partners rather than duplicating services.

But Councillor Nathaniel Herz-Jardine thinks Council needs to take more ownership.

“The communities gathering across the Red Zone are symptoms of an underlying problem, the lack of affordable housing” Herz-Jardine said.

“The standard line for a long time at council has been that it’s the central government’s responsibility or social services’ responsibility – in other words, someone else’s responsibility. And that doesn’t work,” Herz-Jardine said.

“We can’t rely on central government to fix the issue when they’re flip-flopping every three years, and we can’t rely on social services if they’re not being funded. We have to step in.”

He believes Christchurch doesn’t need to choose between big-ticket projects and beautifying the city, and tackling homelessness.

It comes as some councillors argue the latest $15 million commitment to Christ Church Cathedral would be better spent on social housing.

“Having a thriving, vibrant, beautiful, modern, clean inner city doesn’t have to be a trade-off with dealing with homelessness,” Herz-Jardine said.

He said the solution lies in building affordable housing – and it’s more financially viable than people assume.

“People have this idea that it’s gonna be this exorbitant cost that’s gonna hugely increase people’s rates.”

“But if we use really efficient organisations that can build cheap homes at scale and rent them out at about 80% of the market rate… it’s pretty close to being self-sustainable – and the impact is positive for everyone," Herz-Jardine said.

“Our ambition as a city should be that we’re building enough homes to bring down the market rate for housing across the city.”

“The homes we’re building in the inner city aren’t going to residents – they’re going to tourists instead,“ Herz-Jardine said.

“The problems are pretty obvious and the solutions are pretty clear. We just have to get on and do it.”

Rosie Leishman is a reporter and multimedia journalist based in Ōtautahi, Christchurch. She joined Newstalk ZB in 2025, after experience working at the Bangkok Post in Thailand. Rosie has a keen interest in social issues, the environment and general news.