New Zealand first MP Clayton Mitchell is meetin with Te Puke kiwifruit orchardists to see if accommodation for kiwifruit workers can be used for some of Tauranga's homeless.

Yesterday's meeting follows one earlier this week with Tauranga mayor Stuart Crosby and some councillors where emergency housing solutions were discussed.

Clayton Mitchell is searching out orchard accommodation.

'You know we have got people living in their cars down Sulphur Point, we've got people living under bridges,” says Clayton.

'It really is at that pivot point, the start of a bigger problem if something is not done.

'The discussion which I asked to have with the mayor was along those lines. He absolutely agreed, there is a problem. He sees it as a crisis as well.”

Clayton's asked to be able to put a proposal to council of perhaps making use of a camping ground or holiday park for short term accommodation.

'Somewhere where, for three to six months at a time, we can actually put people in ‘quick fix' accommodation, until further housing can be established and can come on line.”

Clayton is also trying to organise a meeting with Bob Clarkson, who at one time was offering land at Tauriko for first home affordable housing - an offer he remembers from his time on Tauranga City Council nearly three years ago.

'Councils have a lot of power we are able to facilitate and organise these sorts of problems and when the community understands the depth of the problem; its affecting our elderly, it's affecting young families its affecting solo parents.”

The Ministry of Social Development has 180 people or households on the priority A and B lists for housing in Tauranga.

Priority A applications include people considered ‘at risk', and include households with a severe and persistent housing need that must be addressed immediately.

Priority B applications include people who have a ‘serious housing need', and include households with a significant and persistent need.

Tauranga is among the top regional centres at 3.6 per cent of the country total which is dominated by the Auckland super city and Christchurch.

'They have a list and yes, we can put your name on that list for emergency housing but that list is so long it's pointless,” says Clayton.

'Take into account many of the inquiries are on behalf of families and the (Tauranga) number might be more. I would assume 200 odd people that are in serious jeopardy.

'I have a lot of people calling my office. They call their local MP when they are at their wit's end and have tried every other avenue.”

Clayton says a lot of these people are working full time for minimum wage. They can't get any accommodation in the city, so they find themselves sleeping in cars.

'They could go to Tokoroa. I know people who are moving out of town to Paengaroa, anywhere they can find accommodation.

'But it's a zero sum game because the amount they are paying in travel costs to get back to the city to drop their kids off and to get to their jobs, is undoing the cost benefits of getting out of town. It's actually at that point.”

So Clayton is talking to orchardists.

A lot of orchardists have accommodation for the people who come in to pick or pack for three or four months of the year.

He's looking at the Te Puke area because the access into the city is better than what it would be from Katikati.

'For example, the Wairoa River Bridge is just a nightmare to get through.

'So, if we can establish that we can get some accommodation out here then we need to have a discussion with councils, regional and local, about how do we commute these people into the city. Can we organise buses for example so they are not disconnected from the city?

'It's just trying to find some solutions and talking to people who can make a difference, and for our city to have that ability to look at things a little bit more objectively, than from what the government is not doing by simply addressing the situation at the source,” says Clayton.

'People have said ‘why don't you have a forum meeting?' I said ‘we are over the meetings we know the problem, it is a crisis'. Now Tauranga is one of the cities that is very, very badly affected.”