Correction: This story has been updated to say that people could risk a 13 week stand-down from emergency housing eligibility.
Jono and Kathy Davis standing in front of their van. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman
A freedom camping advocate says more and more working people are having to live in cars and vans due to the cost of living and rising rental prices.
Median rental prices increased nearly 30 percent from October 2019 to August 2024, according to TradeMe's rent price index.
One woman who ran several online pages about freedom camping said many working people were contacting her saying they were considering moving into a van or a car as they could not afford to rent.
Others said the government's changes to emergency housing criteria had made living in their vehicle a more viable option.
In the latest in RNZ's Crunching the Numbers series, we spoke to kiwis living on four wheels or in a tent.
Jono Davis and his partner Kathy have been on the road for a few months now, living in their van across Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.
They lived in a house in Kawerau for seven years, but once the landlord sold it they were left without many options.
"Most of the rentals that are out there now are beyond your reach, if you're in a situation like us."
So instead of renting they decided to move into a van they had recently bought.
It was not big - there was just enough space for a bed and a few essentials, including a fridge, toilet and fresh water.
Jono had tried the van life before - but he said this time around it was a shock to see the number of homeless people driving into freedom camping spots after dark to sleep in their cars.
"They kip down for the night, and leave early in the morning as if they're heading off to work sort of thing.
"And I gotta think - what sort of life is that? You're trying to make ends meet, trying to get somewhere in life, you're working hard and you can't have a roof over your head. That's rough."
Inside Jono and Kathy Davis's van. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman
Jono was on a supported living payment because he was blind, and his partner Kathy was on the jobseeker benefit after recently getting a business diploma.
She was looking for an accounting job, but said once she found one they would likely stay living in their van to save money.
Recent government changes to emergency housing criteria required people to make "reasonable attempts" to find other housing and pay their contribution or risk a 13 week stand-down from emergency housing eligibility.
Kathy said this meant emergency accommodation was not an option for them.
"Why would you go into a motel, sit there for a week, apply for houses that you can't afford then potentially lose what measly amount you're getting? There's no logic to it."
The lifestyle had put a strain on her and Jono's relationship at times, she said, but they were now in a happy routine.
Teiti Nepia on the beach. Photo: Supplied / Facebook
Wellington woman Teiti Nepia decided to camp in a tent last summer, biking to work each day, after struggling to find a rental where she worked as a chef in the affluent suburb of Island Bay.
"For a small studio, so that's not a one bedroom flat even, but a small studio will start at $400 upwards. I just couldn't afford that. That would have been over 60+ percent of my income at the time."
She wanted to "peacefully resist the high cost of living" and what she said were unsustainable rent prices - while teaching people how to freedom camp responsibly.
It was a challenge - Nepia said even basic things like finding somewhere to have a shower each day kept her busy.
She made the decision out of necessity, but as someone who loved the outdoors, she also enjoyed the connection to the whenua.
Teiti Nepia's tent set up. Photo: Supplied / Facebook
"I love waking up to sunsets and I love sitting on my swag and watching the sun go down. So it's beautiful when you're living out there the force of nature is actually stunning."
Nepia filmed the experience and made a documentary, called HOME - a feeling of belonging.
But after five months living outside, working and making the documentary she became exhausted and got sick - she now lived in social housing.
Bette Cosgrove was a freedom camping advocate and the admin of several Facebook pages about the lifestyle.
"I'm getting more and more people messaging me saying, 'oh look I have to live in my vehicle now, what do I do about these freedom camping laws?'... and I never had that before."
Changes to freedom camping rules brought in last year meant camper's vehicles needed to be self-contained - but homeless people were exempt from this.
Neither local councils or the Ministry of Social Development kept an accurate record of the number of homeless people living in vehicles.
