Aucklanders say their central city feels unsafe, particularly at night, with homelessness, dirtiness and “dodgy people” scaring some away.

Commuters arriving downtown this morning told the Herald the transient population in parts of the central business district made them feel sad and uncomfortable. One said beggars shouting at them made it an unpleasant place.

“It’s disgusting, and it’s sad,” central city property manager Frank said of the homelessness.

“I see them every day. It’s not comfortable to see them. Something should be done,” he told the Herald. He believed the Government and council had “given up on them”.

“They [authorities] need to come and talk to them and take them away.”

Inner city residents and workers gave their thoughts in the wake of a newly released survey from the central city business association Heart of the City.

The survey showed store owners and offices believed homelessness, too few police, neglect and disorder and frightening anti-social behaviours were crippling their trade.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told the Herald when presented with the survey results that there are “no simple solutions to complex problems” and insisted things have been improving under his governance.

Central city worker Eva said she felt safe as she spoke standing outside Britomart, “but I feel like in the middle of Queen St, it’s a little bit unsafe”.

She said: “I just feel like [there are] a lot of dodgy people sometimes. Sometimes you will feel like there are a lot of homeless people on the street and then you will feel a little unsafe.

“I’ll try to avoid walking there. Especially after, you know, a few years ago, there was a shotgun [fired] in the middle of the city.”

Aucklanders say their central city feels unsafe, particularly at night, with homelessness, dirtiness and “dodgy people” scaring some away. Photo / Dean Purcell

Another woman, who did not give her name, said she felt safe “during the day, yes, but [at night] definitely not”.

“The amount of people who are homeless - it’s not their fault, they’ve got to have somewhere to go - but it’s not very pleasant walking past and being shouted at for money, and then if you can’t give money, how horrible they are.

A third woman, Bridget, agreed she felt safe in the day, but “not at nighttime, no, not at night”.

Another woman told the Herald, “We’re a little bit lucky [speaking from Britomart] because we’re close to where the cruise ships come off, but the rest of the city is probably not great.”

One woman named Jane said she did not come to the city in the evening, but “during the day, I love Auckland City”.

“It’s vibrant, it’s full of beautiful people, beautiful culture, an absolutely magnificent city, the best place in the world to live.”

Jane said it was “sad that society has got to that”, referring to the homelessness in the city.

Central city worker Allan said he felt “a little bit nervous with everybody who’s just hanging around there” when he walked up Queen St, and he said parts of the street were untidy.

Another central city worker, Dave, said the Government “should be paying more to help people with low incomes, mental health problems or homelessness”.

“I don’t have any solutions, myself, and I know psychiatric hospitals never worked; there was abuse there. Some people are incapable of looking after themselves [and need] some help.”

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers business, breaking news and local stories from Tāmaki Makaurau. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.