As the mercury hung around 9C and a pervasive mist clung to the city, an advocate pitched a sign on the outskirts of a tent village which read: ‘Our people that are homeless need housing’.  

A growing encampment at Dunedin’s Kensington Oval underscores a surge in rough sleeping in the southern centre, with advocates raising serious concerns for the safety and wellbeing of the city’s homeless individuals.  

The trees lining the edge of the sporting ground house a fluctuating number of tents, often up to 20, while many other homeless people live nearby in vehicles and bush areas.  

A Dunedin City Council (DCC) spokesperson said estimates put the number of homeless people in the city at approximately 3207, which includes street sleepers, couch surfers, those in temporary housing, and those in uninhabitable homes.  

The numbers of people sleeping outdoors, including in tents, is estimated to be 70-100 at any one time, with up to 60 people possibly at the Oval. 

Dunedin Bedding Bank founder Janine Walker helped set up the encampment at the Oval, and visits as often as possible with supplies for those who live there, including clothing, sleeping bags, canned foods, socks, and shoes. 

At times housing between 10 to 20 tents, the growing homeless community at the Kensington Oval in Dunedin highlights a rising crisis in the city. Photo / Ben Tomsett 

Among helping those at the Oval, she has also supplied people who did not qualify for support from government agencies. 

“I just saw there was a need - there’s such a big gap in between systems,” she said. 

As well as operating the Bedding Bank, a role she works around the clock, Walker also assists a local church at the Oval every Sunday by distributing hot meals. 

With winter setting in, Walker said she was very concerned about those without homes and had been appealing for donations through her social media pages. 

‘You feel like you get looked down on’ 

Jay (not his real name) has been homeless for about a year. 

Following a turbulent childhood marked by physical and psychological abuse while traversing state care, Jay said he has been through constant periods of homelessness as well as eight stints in prison. 

Now in his 40s, Jay’s criminal record began when he was 14. 

He first moved into the Oval about midway through last year but left after the death of an acquaintance in the camp. 

In December, a homeless man in his 30s died at the Oval following a medical event. Jay said another person at the camp alerted him to the man on the ground, but when he got to him, he was dead. 

“It was quite hard because he was a good guy and that. All the time he’d been on the street, plus alcoholism and all that as well. He had other health issues also.” 

Dunedin Bedding Bank founder Janine Walker (right) and volunteer Ann-Marie at the Kensington Oval, with a boot of supplies for the homeless people that live there. Photo / Ben Tomsett 

“Obviously there’s a bit of comradeship, as much as there’s negatives, in the community with people that are on the streets.” 

Jay came to the Oval after being asked to leave the residential house where he had lived for a year following his last release from prison. 

He said he has found it difficult to live with other people due to his mental health issues, including PTSD. 

“It’s a cold, lonely world. You feel like you get looked down at. Everyone’s just as normal as anyone else, it’s just that we’re in that predicament.” 

This stigma only compounds the difficulties faced by those living on the streets, many of whom are dealing with complex issues like addiction and mental health disorders, he said. 

‘A little compassion goes a long way’ 

Another man, known as John Doe, resides in a tent on a local golf course after living for a period at the Oval. 

Much like Jay, he has found it difficult to live with others and has been experiencing homelessness for over six years. 

As a child in Christchurch, John was introduced to legal highs by a family member which spiralled into an addiction and led to severe health issues, including pneumonia and kidney problems. 

Now in his 30s, John moved to Dunedin for a fresh start and hopes to establish a lawn and garden company. 

He had been living in Christchurch and working full-time, when an incident he regrets caused him to be sent to prison. 

Upon release, he fell back into old habits, associated with the wrong people, and “ended up losing everything again”, he said. 

He was kicked out of his previous Dunedin flat due to ongoing issues with other tenants, exacerbated when he bought a dog, Tinker. He said he suffers from depression and bought Tinker for companionship. 

Currently, John is trying to rebuild his life while grappling with the cold and precarious living conditions. 

The Dunedin Bedding Bank was founded by Janine Walker to support people experiencing homelessness in Dunedin, and runs entirely on donations. Photo / Ben Tomsett 

“I know I’ve made my situation harder by getting a dog, but have I made it harder or have I almost fixed the problem that’s been an ongoing problem in my life where I struggle with self-worth and loneliness? Now I’ve got a companion,” he said. 

He said he struggled to live at the Oval and left after an altercation with other people living there. 

He was now working with Kainga Ora, who he says are working to find him suitable accommodation for him and Tinker. 

Being homeless has made it difficult for him to return to work, he said, and he has been declined positions because of his lack of stable housing. 

For the past week, he has been staying with a friend due to a bout of sickness. 

“[They’ve] been lovely enough to help me out with staying in [their] lounge while I get better so I don’t f***ing cark it out there.” 

He wanted people to understand his situation without looking down on him. 

“Where’s the compassion going in this world? New Zealand got through the earthquakes, we stuck by one another, where’s that all gone?” 

A 'tent city' has been erected on the outskirts of the Kensington Oval in Dunedin, underscoring a rising homeless crisis in the city. Photo / Supplied 

Council addresses crisis 

Plans for increased housing in Dunedin are ongoing, with an idea floated by Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich at a recent council meeting to repurpose a vacant hotel, the Aaron Lodge Holiday Park, into accommodation for the city’s homeless. 

A DCC spokesperson said discussions were ongoing and Radich would meet with relevant parties over the coming days. 

“The aim is to reach an agreement that provides both accommodation and wrap-around support for homeless people, many of whom have complex needs,” the spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson acknowledged a wide range of parties were offering immediate support to homeless people at the Oval, as well as the DCC opening its Oval changing rooms on Sunday mornings for people camping there to have a hot shower. 

They said that DCC staff and those from other organisations connect homeless individuals with the Ministry of Social Development whenever possible. 

“We continue to believe Aaron Lodge could be used to accommodate homeless people and provide them with the wraparound support they need, which is why we’re talking to owners Kāinga Ora about potential options there.” 

The DCC is working with more than 20 stakeholders across the city to develop a co-ordinated, city-wide approach to homelessness, including Corrections, Kāinga Ora, the Ministry of Social Development, Oranga Tamariki, Te Whatu Ora, Te Puna Kokiri, WellSouth, as well as representatives from mana whenua, the Dunedin Night Shelter, Presbyterian Support Otago, Salvation Army, and Ōtepoti Dunedin Whanau Refuge, the spokesperson said. 

“This co-ordinated approach to homelessness is unique in New Zealand. Together we are committed to tackling both the causes and consequences of homelessness in Dunedin, by delivering this wide-ranging mahi in a coordinated way to help those most in need in Ōtepoti.” 

Ben Tomsett is a Multimedia Journalist for the New Zealand Herald, based in Dunedin.