Business owners and their customers say central Auckland feels increasingly unsafe and uninviting \u2013 and are arguing that coordinated action is needed now, writes Catherine McGregor in today\u2019s extract from The Bulletin.<\/p>\n
To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday,\u00a0sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Aucklanders voice their anger over the state of CBD<\/p>\n Two recent surveys \u2013 one formal, one very much not \u2013 have laid bare the depth of frustration over antisocial behaviour in Auckland\u2019s city centre. The business group Heart of the City (HOTC) surveyed 102 operators in and around Queen Street and found\u00a091% thought rough sleeping and begging were harming their trade<\/a>, while 81% believed the CBD was unfit to attract new people and investment.\u00a0A companion poll on the Herald\u2019s website<\/a>, though opt-in and therefore highly unscientific, drew more than 6100 responses, 97% of whom agreed the central city had become \u201cuninviting\u201d and \u201cbeset by anti-social behaviour\u201d.<\/p>\n Business owners described daily scenes of drug use, street fights and even public sex. \u201cIt\u2019s very intimidating for normal people,\u201d said cafe owner Paul Ewing, adding security come to his premises \u201cthree, four, five times a day\u201d. One office executive told the Herald\u2019s Tom Dillane staff had been assaulted in broad daylight, while a suburban foodie said she and her husband no longer frequent CBD restaurants in part due to once-lively dining streets now reeking of vomit and excrement.<\/p>\n Measures in motion but patience wearing thin<\/p>\n A number of safety measures are already in place, including a reinstated 24-hour police base on Federal Street, Auckland Council compliance wardens, and HOTC\u2019s own round-the-clock security patrols. In March, the government also allocated\u00a0$1.3 million from its Proceeds of Crime Fund to install lighting<\/a>, CCTV and more patrols across central Auckland, including the CBD.<\/p>\n HOTC chief executive Viv Beck says her group\u2019s long-standing call for a coordinated response is finally being heard, with ministers agreeing a cross-agency approach is needed. But, she adds, \u201cwe\u2019re stressing the urgency\u201d for visible progress before the City Rail Link and new convention centre open in 2026.\u00a0She tells The Post\u2019s Amelia Wade<\/a> (paywalled) HOTC wants immediate enforcement of bylaws and a \u201ccrackdown on drugs\u201d so visitors and locals feel safe again. \u201cWhat we\u2019d really like to see is people in need get the help they need \u2013 and businesses have a really good environment to trade in.\u201d<\/p>\n Tightened housing rules fuel a wider crisis<\/p>\n While more police and security might curb some antisocial behaviour, those working with homeless Aucklanders say the problem\u2019s roots lie in government policy.\u00a0As RNZ\u2019s Lauren Crimp reports<\/a>, rule changes introduced in August 2024 made it far harder to enter or remain in emergency housing, requiring extensive proof of eligibility and allowing officials to decline people deemed to have \u201ccaused or contributed\u201d to their homelessness.<\/p>\n Both applications and approvals have since plummeted, with more applications now being declined than granted in Auckland. In early September, ministers instructed officials to use more discretion in applying the rules \u2013 but stopped short of officially relaxing them. Housing advocates say the impact has already been devastating: the number of people living without shelter in Auckland has almost doubled this year and more than 500 nationwide are now sleeping in cars,\u00a0according to a report in The Post last month<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019ve just shut the door and left some of our most vulnerable people out in the cold,\u201d youth worker Aaron Hendry\u00a0told the Herald\u2019s Julia Gabel<\/a>\u00a0(paywalled). The government insists its \u201ctighter gateway\u201d restores personal responsibility, but critics argue it has simply shifted the problem onto city streets.<\/p>\n More long-term social housing needed\u00a0<\/p>\n