Dear Kāinga Ora–Homes and Communities,

About 3 weeks ago, a nearby Kainga Ora(KO) house(199b) in Cannons Creek Porirua, was the subject of a fire. Apparently, fire investigators determined it was related to a burnt out wire underneath the house. As KO are aware this house was a new build -part of the housing renewal project in early 2000’s by Housing NZ(HNZ) as it was known then. The first renewal since the predominantly old housing stock was built in the 1950’s.

The tenants of the fire affected home had reported, a week prior to the fire, of a problem with the fuses and were told by the electrician that it was due to too many appliances being plugged in - to the denial of the tenants. A week later the fire occurred and investigators found that it was wiring underneath the house that had ‘burnt out’- this indicates the problem was caused before the fuse box not after -as you would expect from an overloaded power point.

The attending fire investigator did not provide the same reason for the cause of the fire/electrical fault as the initial electrician.

KO have, in the past, indicated to tradesmen their 'preferred' outcome of callouts regarding repairs or maintenance jobs-should the tradesman want more jobs from KO- and by doing so you exonerate the assigned Tenancy Manager from blame -the very same TM in another FYI request- a link will be added soon.

While hard to prove in this case, but if the electrician advised the fault was due to too many appliances plugged in, and a week later an electrical fire occurs (in wiring before the fusebox), it cannot be due to the same reason as the whole point of fuses is to safeguard against overload to prevent electrical fires. Therefore, the fault, the cause of the fire (the blown wire?) would most likely be due to substandard material or installation.

Also, during the initial electrician's callout, prior to the fire, it is reasonable to expect that the wiring leading into the fusebox would have been checked.

The new builds (and renewals) were subject to signoffs by KO/Project Manager for safety compliance.

It is also reasonable to expect KO immediately notifying us of the checks as soon as they discovered the cause was related to the wiring in a new build home.

The fire not only placed the tenant/occupants in danger but also the nearby residents.

The occupants were required to move out of the dwelling while repairs began and were instructed by this TM to find alternative temporary accomodation at their own expense.

If the cause was faulty equipment/materials in a KO home etc then surely, it is KO's responsibility to find alternative accomodation for the occupants at KO's own cost not the tenant's.

The tenants have the right to seek assurance that the wiring is up to standard.
There is another related FYI request that has remained unanswered for some time.
https://fyi.org.nz/annotate/request/4359...

Community Renewal Housing project early 2000:
Over 15 years ago I reported to KO the same light bulbs were ‘blowing out’ in our lounge repeatedly within a year. The electrician advised it was due to fluctuating voltage and so no action was taken. They were energy saver bulbs (and not the old style incandescent bulbs) which should have lasted atleast 3 years and so I still remained concerned about the wiring in the house because there shouldn’t have been any faults with the wiring as you would expect it to have been completely replaced during a full refurbishment.

During the housing renewal project there were widespread concerns that the project was being done on the cheap. While most tenants remained silent due to language barriers or fear of missing out on a new or refurbished home, I was one of the few who publicly spoke out on the matter. I believed that, for the first ever housing renewal project, it had to done right, not on the cheap and without compromising quality, and because this was the only chance to, once and for all, resolve all the typical and historic design problems associated with the old housing stock in Porirua ie steep stairs(inside and out), lack of open plan areas, 50’s styled kitchen cupboards, box like structures etc.

However, I was impressed by some simple design changes having significant positive affect ie by merely adding a veranda at the back of the standard and usual boxlike /rectangular houses you dramatically change the whole look and feel of the tired homes.

Questions:
1. For public safety and interest sake, what was the exact cause of the fire at 199b ie faulty wiring, installation, too many appliances were plugged in etc?

2. Why didn’t the electrician check the wiring underneath the house a week before the fire?
There would have been signs indicating a potential electrical fire risk.

3. Why was the attending electrician(prior to the fire) mistaken in his assessment as to the cause of the electrical fault?

On assessing the electrical fault should the electrician have checked the wiring underneath the house?

4. As soon as KO discovered the fire occurred in a ‘new build’ house why didn’t KO immediately notify us that they will be checking the wiring in our home, as it was part of the first housing renewal project since the 1950’s and a ‘new build’(yes, a brand new house!) -in early 2000’s as our refurbished home was. This includes the immediate surrounding homes that were part of the same renewal project and were either new builds or refurbishments.

Therefore, KO must realise reassurance to the tenants is needed to rule out faulty wiring, installation or substandard materials at the time of the housing renewal project.

5. Because of the fire at 199b, a ‘new build’ home, that was part of the early 2000s housing renewal project, as our refurbished dwelling was, can you check the wiring in our home, as we would like reassurance that all wiring was replaced at the time of the renewal project to rule out poor installation and substandard materials.

6. Can we have confirmation that all wiring in our home was replaced during the housing renewal project and none of the original wiring remains from the initial 1950’s construction?

7. Are KO now prepared to check the wiring in the immediate surrounding homes(that were part of the housing renewal project)?

8. What action has KO taken since the fire?

9. For public interest sake, can you explain why the occupants were initially advised, after the fire, to find their own accomodation at their own expense so that repairs could be actioned?

10. In this case, if the cause was faulty equipment or materials etc in a KO home then isn't it KO's responsibility to find alternative temporary accomodation for the tenant/occupants at KO's expense and not the occupants?

11. When the new build was completed what compliance checks were made and by which agency -in particular the electrical compliance?

Housing renewal done on the cheap:
Not a fitting approach for the region's first ever Housing renewal project.

1.Years after the renewal project had completed I discovered, when the carpet was due for a replacement, we found that, during the housing renewal project, instead of installing the required underlay they had just used another layer of carpet. Because the carpet has been replaced since then there is no evidence of this anymore.

2. 4 years ago, due to partially splitting an upstairs window frame near the hinge during the renewal project, the screws were loosely attached and so the window was not fixed securely.
This was discovered over 16 years later.

3. I recall when we returned to our refurbished home after the housing renewal project completed in early 2000's I discovered a dettached grounding wire underneath the sink. I fixed this myself and did not report this at the time because I did not want to be accused of disconnecting the wire myself by HNZ due to my ongoing public comments on the quality of the housing renewal.

4. During the renewal I found out that our original asbestos roof didn’t warrant being replaced as it was not damaged. A response to my letter (pointing out that any chance to remove asbestos material, especially a roof/for old housing stock, should always be taken), advised as long as the asbestos material is not disturbed it will be ok. Because this was raised in a newspaper story, eventually all the asbestos roofs on homes within the housing renewal project(on our street), were replaced.

The price of 'speaking up' (for the tenants-who are the very reason why HNZ/KO jobs exist):

Most affected tenants remained silent and 'compliant' for fear of missing out on their newly refurbished/new build homes. For some of those tenants English was not their first language.

I spoke up during the renewal project and continued to make my observations and opinions public on one issue which was that it appeared the project was 'being done on the cheap'. Because of my public criticism on the project(HNZ’s ‘glory’ project) we were targeted by HNZ/KO.

Because of my ongoing observations and outspoken public views on the renewal project at the time we were subjected to;

1. During one meeting with a HNZ staff member (K.Waddel) she flippantly told me that "We are just tenants!". This staff member was also present at a Tenancy Tribunal hearing I had applied for to address the newly refurbished home no longer having a dedicated praying area. At the hearing, D Gorski,the Housing Renewal Project Manager, stated, while under oath, in the same sentence, that he had 'fully' consulted with all affected tenants but didn’t know that we required a dedicated praying area. So, a HNZ Project Manager, in Porirua(a culturally diverse city), stated that he didn’t know a Hindu family required a praying area?

Ironically, the project was actually labelled ‘Community Renewal housing‘ project where community needs, concerns and strengthening would be at the heart of the development.
Generally, tenant concerns were overlooked dismissed etc. Refer #5 ‘Life threatening incident’/low fence.

2. A senior HNZ staff member comes in to our yard and yells out to me looking through the upstairs window that we have rent owing.

3. Receiving an unofficial phone call from a TM advising me to 'Back off. This comes from management!' referring to my publicised views on the renewal project.

4. KO continuously placing unruly, troublesome gang associate tenants next door to us- putting us in a position of being the targets/victims of unruly behaviour, racism, intimidation, and dope smoking etc.

5. Ongoing placement of unruly tenants directly next door to us, one, in particular, was a troublesome, gang associated tenant placed directly next door to us(an ethnic minority family) where HNZ knew of the problems we would eventually experience ie partying 4 times a week with loud music, drunken & disorderly behaviour, dope smoking, property damage(to both HNZ and tenant property), use of lethal weapons(machete), intimidation and a life threatening incident directed at us.

KO/HNZ are more than aware of such scenarios and the problems that occur as they deal with many ethnic minorities they have placed in that in the same situation throughout New Zealand.

Life threatening incident:
Being an ethnic minority and a small family, and the lack of enforcement from HNZ/KO we were constantly targeted by the troublesome tenants placed directly next door to us(197b) -a decision made by HNZ. On this occasion, HNZ also allowed unruly behaviour(constant late night parties, loud music, drunken & disorderly behaviour & dope smoking) to increase unaccounted for at the adjacent opposite tenancy at 193 (S, a long term tenant -a mother of 4-1 toddler, 1 teenage boy & 2 teenage girls) where we were caught in the middle of both tenancies.

HNZ had a duty of care to this family which they ignored and allowed disorderly behaviour to continue in that household eventually spiralling out of control.

The life threatening incident involved a rock being thrown at my head as I walked through the veranda door to protect my mother who was confronted by a masked gang youth(a visitor from the next door tenancy- 197b) standing in our veranda. The rock had missed my head by several inches smashing through the veranda door. Rocks were then thrown through all the lounge windows in a matter of seconds (the first time they had ever been broken). After the masked youth ran away when my mother pulled his mask off, my mother was subsequently attacked by the tenant ‘S’ (who’s tenancy was eventually terminated-but too little too late as it happened after the Cannons Creek stabbing a short time later.

Police were called but no action was taken (I invite KO to check the police record).

The neighbouring tenant ‘S’ was able to enter our yard and attack my mother because she was able to (just barely) climb over the fence- which had been lowered during the renewal/ refurbishment despite my advice to retain the original height of the fence-which I was told the new fence was ‘more secure’. So, there were many concerns raised by tenants that went unheeded by HNZ.

A subsequent Tribunal hearing, considering my photographic evidence, ruled that HNZ had failed to keep us safe or maintain our peace, comfort and enjoyment. The senior HNZ manager at the hearing was R Bosche who refuted any such threat existed.

6. Cannons Creek stabbing/Killing
I continued to report to the HNZ callcentre complaints of loud music, property damage, drunken behaviour, etc. We later discovered that despite our 3 weekly calls to the HNZ callcentre over a period of 8 months, on requesting a copy of the tenant logs there was no record of any unruly tenant behaviour thereby justifying HNZ not taking any action which allowed the 2007 Cannons Creek killing of an innocent young man after his birthday celebration.

Had HNZ acted on my reports to the callcentre the Cannons Creek stabbing could have been prevented as it was in retaliation for the actions of gang related occupants living in the problematic property next door to us(the reason for my constant calls to the callcentre)-where an altercation with a rival gang occurred. I was the one who called the police that night. This incident was the catalyst for the stabbing that occurred several days later.

Refer news article on the incident.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/7...

7 Can KO provide a copy of the logs during that period in 2007 to confirm no entries were recorded of our repeated, constant, and continuous calls to the KO callcentre ie loud music, drunken disorderly behaviour, use of lethal items ie machete etc property damage (to both HNZ and tenants property.

8. Rent arrears -Being shouted down at by a mid level manager(C Fernie or CF) to distract me from getting to the bottem of a matter regarding confusing rent arrears which eventually went to Tenancy Tribunal. Refer point 9 below.

9. Unexplained rent arrears
A tenancy tribunal hearing to address the unexplained regular pattern of rent arrears occurring despite making regular payments.

CF’s objective was to threaten tenancy termination rather than resolve a tenant’s concerns or issues and viewed tenants poorly.

CF advised us we were letting our rent balance fall in arrears regularly -despite continuous fortnightly payments, I couldn't understand why.

So, I arranged a meeting with her to discuss the matter at the HNZ office in order to understand why the arrears were occurring. It was an opportunity for her to avoid escalating the matter to the Tenancy Tribunal. Accompanied by a representative from the Local MP’s office, I was immediately yelled down upon by CF who had an audience of the entire office and not being able to discuss the matter rationally the meeting ended prematurely.

In hindsight, after the Tenancy Tribunal hearing, I realised it was to distract/circumvent any chance to clarify the matter.

I was provided a printout of the of the rent payments/charges but was not able to clearly understand it. In hindsight, CF would have been able to explain it.

During the Tribunal hearing I advised all present that I had just made an extra week's rent payment prior to the hearing. I did this, as a precaution, still unsure of the cause of the arrears.

I also realised later, that as an experienced HNZ manager, CF would have been aware, but had not explained to me, that because we were paying rent fortnightly and HNZ's ‘rent’ system was processing payments weekly, it meant that we would be in credit one week but arrears every alternative week and so, HNZ's actual issue was that they didn’t want any arrears to appear at all and so they required an extra weeks payment- this was not clearly explained to me. My view was that they were misleading us somehow because the rent was being paid consistently yet they advised we were in arrears constantly.

Our ‘inability’ to avoid the regular arrears and CF’s 'failure' to explain this, allowed her to escalate the matter to the Tenancy Tribunal for unpaid rent placing our tenancy at risk of termination.

1. How does KO- manage the situation where rent is paid fortnightly but KO system charges fortnightly?

2. How did HNZ manage that situation in 2005?

Lasting impact on tenants because of KO’s dismissive actions (hypersensitivity):

Although these issues/incidents have long since passed, and the poor tenancy placement issue was resolved only as recently as this year with the removal of a long term unruly gang associated, dope smoking tenant, that is not to say that, we are free of any hypersensitivity of certain situations we were subjected to through enduring careless onesided decisions, poor placement of tenants(since Community renewal housing project) and lack of action by ko over the last 20 years, has been resolved or that it ever will be. It does take its toll on tenants.

The hypersensitivity to certain situations (dope smoking, racism, targeted behaviour, etc) has involved uneasiness, frustration, heated discussions, anger, waryness and distrust of government agencies especially KO.

Therefore, KO cannot assume that hyper sensitivity acquired due to long term exposure to certain situations caused by enduring careless decisions/lack of action by KO/HNZ over the last 20 years has ended just because those situational factors have now finally been removed.

Those situations resulted (were designed to?) in ethnic minorities being instilled with a sense of fear, wariness of mainstream local ethnicities.

I see this now where children of minorities are exposed to traumatic situations intentionally caused by older mainstream ethnicities to instil a sense of fear (or trauma in them) who know the earlier they expose minorities to such 'shock' situations the 'deeper' and ingrained it becomes as they get older thereby impacting their lives. To ensure it is the minorities that ‘step to one side’ to let them pass on a narrow pathway.

Yours faithfully,

D Dahya