Opinion: Less than a warm welcome for Papamoa's emergency housing village tenants

There was a less than warm welcome for the first tenants to move into Papamoa's emergency housing village. PHOTO/GEORGE NOVAK

There was a less than warm welcome for the first tenants to move into Papamoa's emergency housing village.

The residents, who have been caught on the wrong side of a property boom, were left with no doubt about how some in the community viewed their arrival.

One resident says strangers would drive past and yell abuse such as "f*** off" and "you're not welcome here".

Such comments reveal a lack of empathy and understanding on the part of those summarily passing judgments on others based on their position on the socio-economic ladder.

The petty nature of some of the complaints that have been lodged - such as tenants leaving toys and washing on their front lawns.

Paul Wallaston, acting general manager of the Tauranga Community Housing Trust, hit the nail on the head when he observed: "The village is subject to a higher of scrutiny than what you would normally expect."

To their credit, residents, such as Pohutukawa Kahuroa, appear to have taken it in their stride.

She moved into the village with her grandchildren, aged 4 and 5, before Christmas.

Kahuroa says she never expected to need emergency housing, but she struggled to find a rental in the booming house market.

She has a message for those who have yelled abuse at her: "You could end up in this situation one day."

Her comment sums up the situation perfectly.

As we reported this week, the final 10 homes in Kainga Awawhai village opened this week in preparation for the arrival of more tenants.

Hopefully, these families received a warmer welcome than their predecessors.