I was disappointed to see City Vision members of the Waitematā Local Board use the urgency provisions in Standing Orders to adopt a formal board position opposing the Government’s proposed Move-On Orders. Whatever one’s personal view on the policy, it is not an urgent matter requiring procedural shortcuts.
Any amendment to the Summary Offences Act will go through a full parliamentary process. There will be public submissions, select committee scrutiny, expert advice and debate in the House. This will take months. There was no immediate deadline, no emergency and no event that required the board to suspend normal process to declare its position.
Standing Orders exist to ensure good governance. Urgency provisions are there for genuinely time-critical matters – natural disasters, funding deadlines, unforeseen events requiring immediate decisions. They are not intended as a mechanism for political positioning on national policy debates. Using them this way risks undermining confidence in local democratic processes and diminishes the board’s credibility.
Local Board Member Caitlin Wilson initially instigated the board’s statement opposing Move-On Orders. After questions were raised about the potential for a conflict of interest, given her employment with the Auckland City Mission, the matter was subsequently passed to another City Vision board member to progress.
Turning to the substance of the issue, the Government’s proposed Move-On Orders represent a shift in how we manage disorderly behaviour in public spaces. The changes would give Police the power to direct individuals to leave a specified area for up to 24 hours where their behaviour is disruptive, intimidating or obstructive. The proposal is designed to give frontline officers a practical tool to intervene earlier, before situations escalate.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell has been clear about the intent:“This is about public safety and providing our frontline with additional enforcement powers to ensure the public can feel and are safe.” That focus on public confidence is important. Auckland Central is vibrant, busy and increasingly dense, people need to feel comfortable using our streets and town centres. Retailers, hospitality operators, residents and visitors all rely on that sense of safety.
The proposed powers would apply to individuals aged 14 and over. A written notice could require someone to move a reasonable distance away from a location for up to 24 hours, with penalties for non-compliance. This is about behaviour and providing Police with practical discretion.
The behaviour in question can include aggressive begging, intimidation, obstruction of footpaths or shop entrances, repeated harassment of passers-by, or conduct that makes people feel unsafe. These are real concerns raised regularly by residents and business owners.
For retailers, this is an increasing issue. When someone is sleeping in a shop doorway, aggressively approaching customers for money, or creating an atmosphere of disorder immediately outside a premises, it directly affects foot traffic and trade. Small businesses already face rising costs and economic pressure. Expecting them to manage persistent street disorder themselves is neither fair nor realistic.
None of this dismisses the complex social issues that can sit behind street disorder. Enforcement alone will never solve those problems. Move-On Orders are not a substitute for investment in mental health services, addiction treatment or long-term housing supply. The Auckland City Mission should be legally recognised as a place of refuge within any Move-On framework. There must always be somewhere safe and appropriate for vulnerable people to go.
But we should also acknowledge the lived experience of residents and businesses seeking practical solutions. Supporting Police with proportionate powers to address genuinely disruptive behaviour is, in my view, part of maintaining Auckland Central as a welcoming, vibrant and safe community.
Process matters in democracy; Elected Members should take it seriously.
To contact Sarah Trotman, in her capacity as a C&R Member, email her at sarahtrotman@outlook.com
To contact her, in her capacity as an Elected Member of Auckland Council’s Waitematā Local Board, email her at sarah.trotman@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or you can give her a call on M: 021 487 583. (Sarah Trotman, ONZM)
