Pensioner units get new owner

The transfer of four Russell pensioner units to a social housing trust is a win for the council and the community, the Far North District Council says.

Ownership of the four units at highly desirable Long Beach was last week transferred to the Duffus Memorial Trust, which was instrumental in having the units built on gifted land in the 1980s.

Last year the council signalled its intention to sell off 36 of its 157 pensioner units, saying catching up on overdue maintenance would cost ratepayers dearly and that social housing was the responsibility of Government agencies such as Housing New Zealand.

The outcry saw the council backtrack and agree to sell only its Mangonui units, which occupy a prime waterfront position, and use the the proceeds to fix up the remaining pensioner flats.

The six Mangonui units were sold for $675,000 in February this year.

Public submissions did, however, support transferring the Russell units to a trust named after the land's donors, Robert and Lucy Duffus.

Council staff met trustees and trust supporters at the flats last week to hand over the keys after finalising the sale of the units for $32,904, the value of the outstanding mortgage.

District facilities operations manager Sue Hodge said she was delighted the council had been able to divest the units without compromising the interests of tenants.

Trust chairwoman Lorraine Young said the trust was pleased to finally own the units after helping the Bay of Islands County Council build them in 1986 and making considerable financial contributions to the project.

"It's great that the council has allowed this to happen," Ms Young said.

The next step for the trust is to tidy up the units it has renamed Duffus Estate.

The trust may also build more units on the 2.8ha site to meet demand for affordable pensioner housing in Russell, saying it could fill another three to four units.

The county council resolved in 1983 to build six pensioner units on the Long Beach Rd site gifted by Robert and Lucy Duffus in 1908 for a convalescent hospital.

The council also resolved to form a trust to control of the Duffus Estate and establish housing for aged persons on the site or other land in Russell.

The High Court later ruled that the Long Beach Rd site could only be used for pensioner, disabled persons and invalid housing, subject to them being able-bodied enough to live there.