An 8000-strong petition calling on the Government to address the dire state of youth homelessness was presented to Parliament on Tuesday.
Among those in Wellington was someone who's felt the effects of youth homelessness first-hand.
For Harima Rimene (Ngāti Kahungunu), it's an experience he knows all too much about after he sought shelter on the streets of Manurewa, South Auckland. He left his whānau following what he described as a "rough situation" with his family at the age of 19.
"It's not a nice place... not a nice situation to be in, in Aotearoa.
"It was a struggle trying to reach out to services, to get some sort of assistance."
Fortunately for Rimene, he got back on track with the help of a 'first of its kind' youth programme.
"I reached out to a certain whānau that run an organisation called He Pā Piringa that helped me get me back on my feet.
"If it weren't for them, I would most likely still be in a homeless situation."
The He Pā Piringa initiative is run by Manaaki Rangatahi, the country's only youth housing and homelessness collective.
Lead co-ordinator Bianca Johanson said that although there are a number of emergency housing units for rangatahi in Tāmaki, there is still not enough.
"There's a lot of complacency and there's a lot of apathy around this issue. The most ignored demographic in Aotearoa is our youth."
A number of MPs were outside Parliament steps to greet advocates.
Addressing the crowd, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said she is determined to address the issue.
"We still need to do so much more, and I support your mahi and kaha to hold every single political candidate to account, for turning this country to one that upholds housing as a human right and not just a way to build wealth," she said.
By Moana Makapelu Lee, Ethan Oneroa
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