People 'unravelling': Fears a 'bad batch' of synthetic cannabis has hit Wellington's Newtown

Paul Fletcher finds himself on a Monday, in the middle of the road, trying to stop traffic, as a man tries to attack another with a crutch.

It is a chaotic scene that for Fletcher - an Anglican priest working and living in the heart of Newtown - has become "sadly normal".

"Visible drug use on the streets, through the day; aggressive behaviour at least weekly that just plays out; and moments of psychosis often through a week, that is in our main drag."

Cannabis may be to blame for behaviour in Newtown

Fletcher said the man he tried to stop attacking others had been threatening to stab customers and staff at the New World on Riddiford Street two weeks before.

"Cops pick him up, but the cops who are caring… he's not made for prison, that guy. He needs help and support, and rightly so, but he's back here two hours later."

Fletcher has a front-row seat to life in the suburb, and says services for mental health, addiction, trauma and housing are exhausted beyond limits. Government inaction was to blame, he said.

"People are unwell, and they're unravelling."

He's heard families are contemplating leaving, and doesn't want the vibrant, welcoming village he loves to lose some of its gold.

Fletcher is among community leaders and businesses in the suburb highlighting a spike in aggressive behaviour, and calling for more support, including more health services and extra police on the weekend.

Some are also asking whether harmful synthetic cannabis is to blame.

RNZ reported on concerns with anti-social behaviour last year, and while some say initial improvements were made, others are urging the city council to permanently extend an inner-city safety programme out to the suburb.

The Salvation Army's Andrew Wilson and New World Newtown owner Dave Wickham said more police on the weekends are essential.

Wickham had taken to playing classical music in a speaker out the front of the store to calm the environment outside, he said. At times he fears for his customers and his staff.

"Yelling, screaming, blocking the entrance way has happened, we've got regular feedback on Facebook around people not wanting to come to the shop now, not wanting to come down Riddiford Street because they're just feeling unsafe.

"We've had instances of people being followed down the street, one of my staff got followed and ran back to the shop - just from somebody who is unfortunately on drugs."

When RNZ visited the suburb earlier this month, another business owner, who did not want to be named, said he called police regularly.

With a person yelling at bystanders on the footpath, the business owner asked RNZ to phone the police because he had already done so multiple times.

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little said police have told him synthetic cannabis is fueling the spike in aggressive behaviour.

"I shared with them some video footage that a business owner had sent to me, they said, 'Yep that's the clear result of a bad batch of synthetic cannabis that had been circulating in Wellington.' It's caused a lot of concern for the police and health authorities."

Acting sergeant for the area Melanie Paddon would not talk specifically about synthetic cannabis, but said the quality and quantities of drugs fluctuated constantly.

"We rely on the community to let us know about this behaviour, so that we can manage it and address it on those instances.

"Police have done a number of search warrants at different addresses along those lines which has been the result of the community engaging with us."

Paddon said police had had an increase in reports of crime - such as shop-lifting - in the suburb, and staff had boosted presence there, though did not specify if there would now be a permanent presence on the weekend.

She said police were dealing with complex issues, involving vulnerable people, which couldn't fit into a "one-time response". She urged the community to keep calling the police.

Wilson said a number of troubled people were consistently "falling through the cracks" of a range of services.

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said the government had put mental health peer support workers in the emergency department in the suburb, so if they presented in a crisis, someone could help.

He said support had been boosted through the Wellington City Mission Crisis Recovery Cafe - somewhere people struggling with addiction and mental health could go.

Health New Zealand's Paul Oxnam said there was a range of mental health services in the suburb, including early intervention, community mental health and specialist teams for young people and mothers, addiction and treatment services including those who have opioid addiction, acute inpatient services and a crisis resolution service.

Renewed calls for Māori wardens, extension of Wellington's inner-city safety programme

Wilson said he wanted the council's City Safety Team, which operates only in the CBD, installed permanently in Newtown.

That involved community patrols from Māori wardens, urban liaison officers and work with homeless agencies.

Creeps Record Parlour owner Apa said he wanted to see Māori wardens in the suburb.

"It's quite worrying to see all these people, I get real hoha with it… but also you have to emphasise the whole situation."

He said being Māori, he could see the effects of colonisation play out in these situations.

"Imagine having Māori wardens here in Newtown being able to walk the streets - Māori wardens are quite different from police and… they have a caring edge."

Following reporting from RNZ last year, a council team worked on a range of activities including boosting some lighting and CCTV cameras - but that ended when the council budget dried up.

Little said he wanted the City Safety Team in Newtown, but that would be part of long-term budget discussions

"I do have a commitment that we do make a permanent commitment, when we can and when that starts, I can't give a clear steer on that at this point - but that'll be another few months away before I can do that."

Fletcher said he did not want Newtown to lose its heart.

"There is something phenomenally beautiful and hopeful about Newtown. It's got a real gift, but because of that place of welcome and hospitality.., that goodness is being stretched to the limit."