Vagrancy, Homelessness and Policing by Consent

Abstract

This article examines the historical and contemporary politics of vagrancy, homelessness and policing in Aotearoa New Zealand, arguing that current policy debates echo the punitive cultural attitudes of the late 19th century. Drawing on historical accounts of an ‘atomised’ colonial society marked by high levels of vagrancy and drunkenness, the article shows how early governments relied on imprisonment and coercive legislation to preserve an image of social cohesion and civility. It then traces the evolution of policing from coercive control to the 20th‑century model of ‘policing by consent’, grounded in public trust, discretion and community partnership. Under this model, homelessness was managed collaboratively between police and social agencies rather than through criminalisation.