Common Grace Aotearoa gathered hundreds of people to a vigil at Wellington's Anglican Cathedral of St Paul on Palm Sunday 29 March, to oppose the New Zealand Government's plan to criminalise homeless people sleeping in urban areas.
The Coalition Government's proposed legislation would make people rough sleeping, begging or just ‘inhabiting’ a public place (aged 14 and over) liable for fines, and at worst prison terms, if they failed to comply with move-on orders from Police.
Advocates for homeless people say this plan takes no account of how to work effectively with people sleeping rough to help them move off the streets. In fact, for many homeless people, especially, those living with trauma, addiction or mental health challenges, the threat of punitive action for 'existing in public' is likely to make matters worse for everyone.
Alex Johnston from Common Grace reported that as Holy Week dawned, the night of Palm Sunday turned the Cathedral into a space of radical hospitality, as people turned up to show their compassion for people without homes, families played board games, and listened and joined in as poets shared their laments and singers lifted voices in song.
"Every hour, on the hour, we paused to pray for our neighbours experiencing homelessness, for our leaders, and for a society where everyone has a place to call home." said Alex.
"We reminded ourselves that those experiencing homelessness are not "problems" to be cleared away, they are our neighbours, held in the same dignity and love as any of us."
Sunday's vigil comes following an open letter to the Prime Minister (sent on 10 March) signed by Archbishop Justin Duckworth and Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge alongside fellow church leaders, social service agency heads, mana whenua representatives and mayors representing Wellington's broader metropolitan area.
"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." the Wellington leaders wrote.
As well as opposing the Move-On orders' addition to the Summary Offences Act 1981, the letter called on Government to show evidence for its own claims that it would provide 'support' to those people forced to move on.
Alongside Anglican signatories were the Catholic Archbishop of Wellington the Most Rev Paul Martin and leaders from Methodist, Salvation Army, Lutheran churches and Downtown Community Ministries.
Meanwhile around the country, Palm Sunday saw hundreds more Christians hold parallel actions to the Wellington vigil, as part of a nationwide day of action against the move-on orders. Dunedin Anglican Chris Hawkins reports that Student Christian Movement Otago members wrote letters to the Government and led a public letter writing event in the Octagon, while in Auckland, a church-led rally in Aotea Square led to an evening of kai and companionship with the street community.
The link below leads to the Common Grace Aotearoa letter template and email addresses for Coalition Government ministers responsible for Justice, Police and Housing.
Write a letter opposing Move-On orders
The link below links to more resources on this issue for your church community
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