Request regarding information on officials collecting homelessness data in response to Parliamentary question 13 on August 22 2024
Ben Atkinson made this Official Information request to Tama Potaka
The request was partially successful.
From: Ben Atkinson
Dear Tama Potaka,
I am seeking official clarification of the following points based on the answer in the house to Question #13, August 22, 2024, where you stated, "Our officials continue to monitor homelessness very carefully" and "there are no substantiated reports or evidence of increased homelessness."
Can you please provide clarification on:
- Which department, in which agency is monitoring homelessness?
- How is this data being collected?
- Are officials collating data and comparing with the NGO sector's data?
- Will data on homelessness be publicly available on MHUD's dashboards?
- Are you able to advise whether every person presenting to MSD for Emergency Housing will have an official application process?
Yours faithfully,
Ben Atkinson
From: Tama Potaka (MIN)
Tama Potaka
Tçnâ koe,
Thank you for contacting the office of Hon Tama Potaka, Minister of
Conservation, Minister of Mâori Development, Minister of Mâori-Crown
Relations, Minister of Whânau Ora, and Associate Minister for Housing
(Social Housing).
The Minister considers all correspondence important and appreciates you
taking the time to write. Please note that as Minister Potaka receives a
large amount of correspondence it is not always possible to personally
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The following guidelines apply:
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Again, thank you for writing.
Office of Hon Tama Potaka
Minister of Conservation | Minister of Mâori Development | Minister of
Mâori Crown Relations | Minister of Whânau Ora | Assoc. Minister of
Housing – Social Housing
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From: Tama Potaka (MIN)
Tama Potaka
Tçnâ koe Ben,
On 06/09/2024 you emailed Hon Tama Potaka requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982, part of your request was for the following information:
• Are you able to advise whether every person presenting to MSD for Emergency Housing will have an official application process?
We have transferred this part of your request to The Ministry of Social Development as the information to which your request relates is not held by the Minister but is believed to be held by The Ministry. In these circumstances, we are required by section 14 of the OIA to transfer your request.
Please note that according to sections 14 and 15(1) of the Official Information Act, the 20-working day response period is reset by the transfer and starts again on the day The Ministry of Social Development receives the transfer notification. We have notified The Ministry of the transfer today.
You will hear further from The Ministry of Social Development concerning your request in due course.
Ngâ mihi,
Teana Macdonald
Private Secretary (Administration)
Office of Hon Tama Potaka
Minister for Mâori Development | Minister for Whânau Ora | Minister of Conservation |
Minister for Mâori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti | Associate Minister of Housing
DDI: 04 817 6811 | EW4.5L
Email: [email address] Website: www.Beehive,govt.nz
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand
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From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Tēnā koe Ben Atkinson,
Thank you for your email received 19 September 2024 transferred from the Office of Hon Tama Potaka, under the Official Information Act 1982. Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate officials at National Office to respond.
Ngā manaakitanga,
Official Information Team | Ministerial and Executive Services
Ministry of Social Development
Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to help themselves to be safe, strong and independent
Ko ta mātou he whakamana tangata kia tū haumaru, kia tū kaha, kia tū motuhake
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From: Huriwai Paki
Kia ora,
On behalf of Hon Tama Potaka, Associate Minister of Housing, thank you for your correspondence. On 06 September 2024, you asked for clarifications about a statement Minister Potaka made in the House on 22 August 2024 during Question Time. In particular "[o]ur officials continue to monitor homelessness very carefully" and "there are no substantiated reports or evidence of increased homelessness."
I’m providing an answer to each of your questions below:
1) Which department is monitoring homelessness?
When the Minister made the statement “officials” he was referring to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as the principal policy advisor to Cabinet around housing (including homelessness) and the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) as the main point of contact for people who are homeless and require urgent accommodation through an emergency housing grant.
2) How is this data being collected? And will data on homelessness be publicly available on MHUD's dashboards?
MSD have regular engagement with housing and social service providers to test ideas and also gather information about what is happening at the local level. HUD also monitors homelessness to build a better understanding on what is driving homelessness that then feeds into policy development. HUD have a data and insights link on their website at Indicators of Homelessness - Te Tûâpapa Kura Kâinga - Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (hud.govt.nz) where you can see more data around homelessness. HUD’s data is based on Census data so it updates whenever a Census is held.
3) Are officials collating data and comparing with the NGO sector's data?
Yes, through their regular engagement with providers MSD discuss data they are seeing with what providers are seeing.
The question to raised about advice on people presenting to MSD for emergency housing having an application process has been transferred to MSD who will respond to you directly.
Ngâ mihi,
Huriwai Paki (he/him/ia)
Private Secretary, Housing | Office of Hon Tama Potaka
Minister of Conservation | Minister for Mâori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti |Minister for Mâori Development
Minister for Whânau Ora | Associate Minister of Housing
Email: [email address] Website: www.Beehive,govt.nz
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand
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From: Ben Atkinson
Dear Huriwai Paki,
Thank you for your reply, is it possible to have further clarification on the below.
2. If HUD's data is based on Census data, then the statement that "there are no substantiated reports or evidence of increased homelessness." is only correct in the instance that the data has not been updated since Census 2023. Is this correct?
3. Are officials able to evidence this data that is collated from NGO's and used comparatively against Government Agency data? Specifically, if Minister Potaka is certain there is no evidence of increased homelessness, then where NGO data has shown increased homelessness, how has this been communicated to Minister Potaka.
Yours sincerely,
Ben Atkinson
From: Huriwai Paki
To your first question, no. MSD and HUD hold contracts with providers for housing supply and services, and meet with providers to discuss policy development. They hear what is going on at a local level regularly including whether the policy changes made are having the intended, or unintended, effects.
To your second question, I'm not sure if officials have set comparable data but the Minister receives regular updates from officials both verbal and written. He also receives either correspondence or has meetings with the sector itself. Minister is engaging with providers across the spectrum including homelessness, emergency and transitional housing spaces and those providers raise issues/concerns. The providers are across the country and some are cohort specific (gender, youth, seniors, disability etc). Minister recently said to a collective of Auckland homelessness providers to keep engaging with him so he can see what's going on and where necessary make changes.
Hope this helps.
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From: Ben Atkinson
Dear Huriwai Paki,
Thank you for your reply. To clarify based on your answers.
MHUD hold data on homelessness which is collated at Census every 5 years.
Both MSD and MHUD hold housing contracts and meet with providers to discuss what happens at a local level and policy implications and there is at times communication direct to Minister.
Therefore, there is no ongoing tracking mechanism to capture any increase in homelessness outside of census data, is this correct? If there is, can you please give a specific link. The MHUD indicators of homelessness does not report on any data post 2022 (EH data).
Yours sincerely,
Ben Atkinson
From: Huriwai Paki
Kia ora anō Ben,
I'll reach out to HUD to see if there is a specific link.
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From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Tçnâ koe Ben Atkinson,
Please find attached the Ministry’s response to your Official Information
Act request.
Nâ mâtou noa, nâ
Official Information Team | Ministerial and Executive Services
Ministry of Social Development
Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent
Manaaki Tangata, Manaaki Whânau
This email and any attachments may contain information that is
confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this
email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in
error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the
email and attachments. The Ministry of Social Development accepts no
responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after
transmission from the Ministry.
From: Ben Atkinson
Dear OIA_Requests (MSD),
Thank you for your reply.
Is every application and the outcome of that application recorded? Including applications that do not result in an assessment?
Is information on declines collected and publically available?
Yours sincerely,
Ben Atkinson
From: Ben Atkinson
Dear Huriwai Paki,
Has there been an update on this evidence?
Yours sincerely,
Ben Atkinson
From: Huriwai Paki
Kia ora anō Ben,
Kia ora anō Ben,
Officials are currently working to improve the understanding around homelessness and its drivers.
Ngā mihi,
Huriwai.
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From: Ben Atkinson
Dear Huriwai Paki,
Thank you for your reply, just to confirm there is no publically available link to the data that officials are monitoring regarding any increase in homelessness? I am happy to close the request once that question is answered.
Yours sincerely,
Ben Atkinson
From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Tēnā koe Ben Atkinson,
Thank you for your email received 16 October 2024, under the Official Information Act 1982. Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate officials at National Office to respond.
Ngā manaakitanga,
Official Information Team | Ministerial and Executive Services
Ministry of Social Development
Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to help themselves to be safe, strong and independent
Ko ta mātou he whakamana tangata kia tū haumaru, kia tū kaha, kia tū motuhake
show quoted sections
From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Tçnâ koe Ben,
Please find attached the Ministry’s response to your Official Information
Act request.
Nâ mâtou noa, nâ
Official Information Team | Ministerial and Executive Services
Ministry of Social Development
Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent
Manaaki Tangata, Manaaki Whânau
This email and any attachments may contain information that is
confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this
email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in
error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the
email and attachments. The Ministry of Social Development accepts no
responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after
transmission from the Ministry.
From: Ben Atkinson
Dear OIA_Requests (MSD),
Thank you for your follow-up and answers. I appreciate that.
Yours sincerely,
Ben Atkinson
From: Ben Atkinson
Dear Huriwai Paki,
I have not received any further information regarding the data that officials are using to monitor any increase in homelessness and wether this data is publically available, from my last request on 16th of October.
Given this request has been ongoing with no clarification I will close it.
Thank you for your time, and support.
Yours sincerely,
Ben Atkinson
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