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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Serena Solomon in Auckland

Couch surfing and sleeping in vans: New Zealand’s housing crisis grips Queenstown

Queenstown New Zealand James Allan
Ski shop worker Merlin Traçable beside the van he lives in in Queenstown, New Zealand
Ski shop worker Merlin Traçable lives in his van in Queenstown as New Zealand grapples with a housing crisis. Photograph: James Allan/The Guardian

When Merlin Traçable finishes work at a ski rental shop in Queenstown, New Zealand, he looks for a place to park his van.

Traçable, a 26-year-old from France on a working holiday, won’t be pulling up near his home. He doesn’t have a house, just a van, a winter sleeping bag and a blanket – currently Traçable’s only antidotes to temperatures that dipped to -4C a few nights ago.

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