Abstract
The government’s plan to empower police to "issue move-on orders as a tool to deal with disorderly behaviour in public places" will effectively apply to people as young as 14 who are experiencing homelessness and who "obstruct" access to businesses, beg or sleep rough. Critics have called the policy unworkable and "draconian", particularly the provisions for NZ$2,000 fines or up to three months in prison as penalties for breaches. While the approach may move people out of central business districts temporarily, it won’t tackle homelessness in the long term. In fact, the focus on those who are visibly sleeping rough obscures the true extent and nature of homelessness in New Zealand.