Ensure every New Zealander is housed and safe ahead of Cyclone Vaianu

As Cyclone Vaianu emergency housing New Zealand becomes an immediate issue, the question isn’t abstract policy — it’s whether everyone has somewhere safe to go when the storm hits.

The Green Party is calling on the Government to ensure emergency housing is available to all people experiencing homelessness this weekend as Cyclone Vaianu approaches the North Island.

What happens to people with nowhere to go?

“Luxon is telling everyone to stock up and prepare to stick out this storm at home. What does that mean for people with no home to go to?” says Green Party Co-leader and Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick.

“The Government must choose to ensure everybody who needs it gets access to emergency housing this weekend, or they are choosing to leave New Zealanders on the street during what they’ve warned is a potentially ‘life-threatening’ event.”

“As an indication of how crazy the current system is, Aucklanders displaced from their homes during the Anniversary Floods got rehoming support, but that resource was not available for those already displaced and without homes. We cannot let that happen again.”

This is a political choice — not a logistical one

“This is a political choice. We can choose to ensure everyone is safe at home through this climate-change-charged extreme weather, and we are asking the Government to step up to that responsibility,” says Swarbrick.

Because in a crisis like this, delays have consequences. And for those already on the margins, the difference between action and inaction can be life-threatening.