By Jane Patterson of RNZ

Emergency housing is supposed to be short-term for those most in need, but some residents have now lived in motels for two years or longer - with no immediate end in sight.

While it puts a roof over the head of some of New Zealand's most vulnerable, not all are safe from violence, gang activity and intimidation. Furthermore, taxpayer dollars continue to pour into moteliers' pockets with the bill topping $1 billion since Labour took office in 2017.

Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said the Government was still working to reverse the housing deficit created by the previous National government. Criticisms now being levelled by its MPs were "incredibly disingenuous" and showed a "shocking level of hypocrisy", she said.

Emergency housing was put in place by National to tackle the homeless crisis; its use skyrocketed during the pandemic and has now become a long-term option for many.

The average stay in 2018 was three weeks, but that's now blown out to more than 20 weeks, based on information provided to National housing spokesman Chris Bishop.

Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni says the Labour government is working to reverse a housing deficit created by the previous National government. Photo / RNZ

He described the current state of emergency housing as "a total social and moral disaster for New Zealand"; he had "real concerns" about the safety of some residents, both from what people living there tell him and from media reports.

"The simple reality is we do not want children growing up living in motels," Bishop said. "We are now caught in the situation where there are children being born in emergency housing; some young kids out there who have no other life other than living in a motel room. That is an appalling state of affairs."

National Party housing spokesperson Chris Bishop. File photo. Photo / Angus Dreaver