I’m writing you, as I no longer know where else to turn. As I got into the elevator of what used to be a nice apartment building here in the Auckland CBD (diagonally across from the skytower), I was met with the floor covered in some unidentified liquid, and blood. I snapped a quick pic to send to the building manager and went on my way. I exited my building, now 11am, and had to walk onto the street to get around a group of young men that have taken over the footpath – all incredibly intoxicated, and being generally aggressive and intimidating. When I came back home 30 minutes later – the group had tripled in size, and one of the girls in the group was holding back one of the guys from fighting. This was 2 meters from the front door to my building, so I awkwardly sidestepped them – keeping them in my peripheral vision as I got through the doors, as to not become collateral damage.

Sadly, this is becoming a daily occurrence. It’s been bad for a while now, but this last lockdown really drove it home. There is zero Police presence on the streets, and with all of the construction going on, creating small, unwatched tunnels – even walking to the local Vic st Countdown feels like rolling the dice some days.

Every day, and most nights, I hear people screaming at each other, fighting, setting off fireworks on the footpath between buildings (I saw some people shooting fireworks AT each other, with small children around a few nights ago). The public drunkenness (after drinking in plain sight in liquor ban areas), meth rages, and opioid comas are now so common that when I see someone lying motionless in the middle of the footpath – all I do is check if they’re breathing before carrying on – because otherwise, calling 111 and waiting for the ambulance would become a part-time job.

Storefronts are being smashed (especially in areas that have lost foot traffic due to the perpetual construction). There were two on victoria street west with smashed fronts, and more on some adjacent streets (between the businesses that have shut down due to the intrusive construction, with allegedly no support given from the council). I spoke to a local liquor store employee (Hobson st) to see how he was doing, and he said that he’d been there 5 years – and since about Jan it had taken a steep turn downhill – police outside his store almost daily, and even two gunshots on his block within the last three months. He said at least 50% of his regular customers had moved out of the CBD because of what’s happening, and he felt a lot had to do with backpackers being turned into emergency housing without any added support – creating a concentration of crime in the area.

I no longer feel safe in what used to be a thriving CBD. I’m a 6ft5 male – it’s my wife that I worry about the most. She’s been followed by unsavoury characters about half a dozen times now, only losing them by tacking on to a larger group – safety in numbers.

We’re quickly headed towards becoming a lot like 1980s New York City, just with fewer murders.

I spoke, off the record, to a Police officer a while back – and they have pretty much said that they don’t really bother arresting people anymore – as once they arrive in the courts, nothing happens and they’re back to doing the same thing by noon the following day. We have no repercussions for criminals, no support for mental health, and rising poverty – so of course crime will skyrocket. The statistics probably don’t accurately represent the reality – because almost no arrests or citations are being made. We don’t even have cops walking a beat in the CBD anymore it seems, so it just sinks into anarchism.

I wonder how much this has to do with a 5 fold increase in emergency housing here, combined with ‘501’ deportees all being put in the CBD. Combine that with minimal Police presence, little to no consequences for crime and antisocial behaviour, rising unemployment, and little to no support for mental health and substance abuse.

Auckland is internationally regarded as one of the safest, and most friendly big cities in the world. I think if things don’t change before the borders are reopened – this is a reputation we will quickly, and irreparably lose.

What, if any, are your plans to fix any of this – before the CBD becomes universally regarded as a place to be avoided?

Kind regards,

A concerned CBD resident