HNZ under pressure

BY DAVID TAURANGA

Tenants of a Housing New Zealand apartment block in Otahuhu are criticising the government agency for neglecting them.

Residents of the Albert St Apartments say they’ve spent years asking for action over "serious and potentially dangerous" issues but to no avail.

Their complaints include assaults on tenants, drug dealing on the premises, problems with youth gangs, vandalism and racism.

Resident Robert Minhinnick says whenever a tenant has gone to Housing NZ with a complaint their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

"It has a duty of care to tenants to ensure there is peace and harmony at the complex – but that is not the case," he says.

"We have obligations as tenants to look after the buildings and grounds, but they have obligations too and yet do nothing when genuine concerns are raised.

"Residents just want Housing NZ to get off their high horse and live up to their side of the tenancy agreement that they made with us."

It’s not the first time the complex has come under scrutiny. In 1997 it was revealed tenants were living in squalid conditions with broken plumbing, mouldy carpets and exposed wiring.

Housing NZ then temporarily closed and redesigned the apartments after the murder of George Matehaere on the premises in 2002.

Mr Minhinnick says violence and intimidation is so rife at the complex that he approached Housing NZ and offered to provide free security patrols, which they turned down.

He operates the Knighthawk Community Patrols, a charitable trust that provides security in communities such as Otahuhu, Otara and Glen Innes.

Not only was he prepared to patrol the Albert St complex for free but also offered to patrol the other two multiplex facilities Housing NZ has in Otahuhu, he says.

The government agency has gone through three towing companies, he says, because their staff were "scared of getting smashed when they come to remove vehicles".

"We could have helped them with illegally parked vehicles. Everything we do we do for free, we’re a voluntary organisation and we could have helped in so many ways," he says.

While both sides disagree on many points, they do agree that much of the problem is rooted in Housing NZ’s need for tenants to identify who’s causing problems before it will act on complaints.

East Auckland regional manager Tania Eden says they’ve acted on reports of disturbances but most complaints are about unnamed individuals or not linked to particular tenancies.

"One tenancy has been terminated in the block this year for anti-social behaviour and two other tenancies have had formal notices to end disruptive behaviour," she says.

"Housing NZ supports a tenant committee which we work with to find solutions to issues that arise. So far Mr Minhinnick has not attended this group."

Ms Eden says Housing NZ recently employed a security service to patrol the units but the tenants committee felt the patrols "were not effective".

Housing NZ turned down Mr Minhinnick’s offer of free patrols because of police concerns, she says.

"They didn’t support the Knighthawk organisation and they are not registered with Community Patrols of New Zealand."

To help identify who’s responsible for damage to the complex, Housing NZ is considering installing security cameras and promises to take serious action against any culprits.

"Housing NZ will look at putting a case before the Tenancy Tribunal to terminate their tenancy."

- © Fairfax NZ News