Independent views By Brendan Horan

A media article on Monday heralded a $10 million building spurge to remediate the demand for new houses. But its not so joyous, however, for the increasing numbers of local residents who cannot afford to be entering this housing market or the market of any level.

Take a stroll around the domain and you will quickly appreciate the raise in homeless locally and who camp out in the edges of the park.

Recently, I was contacted and called to inspect a number of tenants from Jacaranda Close in Brookfield, owned by Housing NZ.

This call joins a list of many calls during the last month to our office, concerned with dismissive attempts to have basic repairs to their homes. On visiting, I encountered mainly elderly residents living in fear of their ceiling falling down, and/or a list of various repairs requested, pathways disintegrating, serious leaks, broken windows and an attitude from Housing NZ that is dismissive, disrespectful, at times rude and most often not responded to at all.

Biennial checks previous Governments managed are reported to have ceased under this Government and consequently basic maintenance for properties as old as these are not being managed. Housing NZ has reported they are not under-resourced, however I can only assume this is part of the Government's quest to appear to be managing the books by cutting costs and staff. Some staff are required to manage 400 properties. Come election year, we may have the Minister of Finance celebrating a return to the black but at what expense? As a country, NZ now has some of the highest social inequities and one of the higher income gaps in the developed world.

If you too share in these, or any other issues you'd like to discuss, please contact my office.

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