Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Aotearoa New Zealand

10 March 2026
The Right Hon Christopher Luxon
Prime Minister

Tēnā koe Prime Minister

Wellington says NO to Move-On orders

“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members”  Mahatma Gandhi

We, the undersigned community leaders of the Wellington region want to express our concern and disappointment at the Government’s announcement on 22 February 2026 of the pending introduction of Move-On orders to the Summary Offences Act 1981.  This will allow Police to relocate people from certain places because of the perceived impact they are having on others in the community.

Whilst we accept and understand that anti-social behaviour on the part of some must be able to be responded to, we don’t consider that moving a person to some other unspecified place fixes the problem, nor does anything to address the issues that individual is dealing with, and in fact, potentially causes significant harm. 

Homelessness is a growing issue that is being felt throughout New Zealand.  It is a complex and multi-faceted social challenge, the responsibility for which resides with all of us.  Social agencies throughout this country are working tirelessly to ensure that people in the community who are struggling, are given the support they need to change their life’s trajectory.

Your own statements on this issue in December 2025 were clear that people weren’t just going to be moved, they were to be supported to improve their circumstances.  How the Government will facilitate this to happen, remains unclear.

In Wellington, our social agencies, Wellington City Council and Police, are working together to address some of the challenges that homelessness brings – to business, to the community, but most importantly to the individual experiencing homelessness.  This is an innovative,  collaborative, and nuanced approach that we believe will achieve the best outcomes for all.

We see the introduction of Move-On orders as a superficial and unhelpful approach that has the potential to cause real harm to those members of our community that are most vulnerable.  For this reason, we want to advise you that Move-On orders are not welcome in this region.

We look forward to working with your Government to find some compassionate and well-considered solutions to these issues.

Ngā mihi nui

Andrew Little                       Mayor of Wellington

Ken Laban                             Mayor of Hutt City

Peri Zee                                   Mayor of Upper Hutt

Anita Baker                           Mayor of Porirua

Janet Holborow                 Mayor of Kapiti Coast District Council

Kura Moeahu                       Tiamana, Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa ki te Upoko o te Ika a Maui 

Wirangi Luke                      Tumu Whakarae, Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa ki te Upoko o te Ika a Maui 

Callum Kātene                   Tumuaki, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira

Helmut Modlik                   Tumu Whakarae, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira

Justin Duckworth             Anglican Bishop of Wellington

Paul Martin SM                   Catholic Archbishop of Wellington

Joel Cramer                          Lutheran Church

Murray Edridge                   Wellington City Missioner, Wellington City Mission

Bonnie Robinson             Research and Justice Stream Lead and Director,

Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, Salvation Arm

Natalia Cleland                 Manahautū, Downtown Community Ministries (DCM)

Mike Hinton                          Chief Executive, He Herenga Kura

David Hanna                        Director, Wesley Community Action

Carmel McKee                   Catholic Social Services Director, Catholic Social Services

Serena Moran                     Clinic Lead, Te Aro Health Centre

Sam Johnson                       Manager, Compassion Soup Kitchen

Manjit Grewal                      Co-Founder EKTA New Zealand