Whangārei whānau plea for Kāinga Ora to take action about troublesome tenant

Whangārei resident Sharon Anderson, right, with her 80-year-old mother Makere Tito, feels unsettled with a problem Kāinga Ora tenant living next door. Photo / Denise Piper

A Whangārei whānau left scared by a Kāinga Ora tenant says the agency needs to do more to get rid of problem tenants.

But Kāinga Ora says it is doing what it can within the law including issuing the tenant a warning and it has ended more tenancies in Northland in the last four months than in the two years prior.

The state housing provider is also getting tough on claiming back rent owed, reducing the amount of rent debt in Northland by nearly $200,000.

But a Whangārei family living in the Avenues say Kāinga Ora has not done enough to end the tenancy of an antisocial neighbour, who has pelted them and their property with glass bottles after drinking.

Sharon Anderson, 61, lives next to the resident with her 80-year-old mother, adult son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

When the tenant moved in just over a year ago, she was keen to be neighbourly, including taking him food, driving him to places and putting together some kitset furniture for him, she said.

But Anderson said the neighbour has a problem with drinking and started throwing beer bottles and cans on to their lawn at night, with the bottles breaking near where she drives and close to her grandchildren’s trampoline.

The behaviour escalated in October, when the neighbour threw a bottle which hit her in the foot, causing the arthritis sufferer to swell up.

“It was unsettling,” she said.

While the Andersons called the police who arrested the man, the antisocial behaviour continued over the next few months, until the neighbour was imprisoned over Christmas for charges he admitted.

But with the man being released from prison last week, the whānau are concerned he is once again living next door due to Kāinga Ora not taking action.

Kāinga Ora's largest development in Northland, the 95-home Kauika Rd development, is being built just down the road from the antisocial tenant. Photo / Denise Piper

Anderson said the agency needs to keep the community safe by ending the tenancies of problem tenants, especially with the state landlord’s largest development - the 95-home Kauika Rd development - being on their doorstep.

The first stage of that development, 27 homes, is due to be finished before June 30, with the remaining homes finished by June 30, 2026.

Her sentiments are echoed by another neighbour, Ken, whose last name is withheld for privacy, who took out a trespass order against the resident.

Ken told the Northern Advocate he believed Kāinga Ora should not have kept the man’s state house for him while he was in custody, instead giving it to someone else in need.

Kāinga Ora Northland regional director Jeff Murray said the agency is aware of the neighbours’ concerns and is closely monitoring the situation, alongside other agencies.

Kāinga Ora Northland regional director Jeff Murray says the agency will act on problem tenants when it needs to. Photo / Michael Cunningham

After the Northern Advocate article was published, Murray said the tenant was issued with a notice that warns him his tenancy is at risk if his behaviour does not change.

“We house some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable people - some of whom have underlying issues and complex needs that, we as a landlord, cannot address alone.

“We are working with other agencies to support the tenant to change his behaviour, but we will take steps to end the tenancy if issues continue.”

Kāinga Ora is committed to being a good landlord, including applying to the Tenancy Tribunal to end a tenancy if a resident has received three notices for serious disruptive behaviour over 90 days.

Murray said if neighbours have any immediate safety concerns they should contact police in the first instance, but also let Kāinga Ora know so it can take appropriate action as a landlord if required.

Information obtained under the Official Information Act shows Kāinga Ora ended two tenancies in Northland between December 2022 and November 2024, both due to rent not being paid.

But Tenancy Tribunal orders show the agency terminated four tenancies in Whangārei and Dargaville from November 2024 to the middle of February for problem behaviour, including one woman whose continuous dog barking, parties and loud music was described by one neighbour as “psychological torture”.

The turnaround comes after Housing Minister Chris Bishop instructed Kāinga Ora to take a tougher stance on tenants with persistent antisocial behaviour in March 2024.

Murray said the agency has adopted a firm but fair approach: “If a tenant does not change their behaviour, we do end tenancies when we need to.”

Kāinga Ora has also worked with tenants to reduce their rent debt, including getting them on repayment plans and using the Tenancy Tribunal when needed.

These efforts resulted in the total amount owed by tenants in Northland dropping from a peak of $716,000 in March 2024, to about $538,000 at the start of this year, Murray said.

Over this time, Kāinga Ora was not forgiving rent debt but it has since introduced a new policy where it will reduce the debt for some tenants, so they do not owe more than 12 weeks' rent.

Of the 295 Northland tenants with rent debt, 66 owed more than 12 weeks’ rent at the start of February and are potentially eligible to receive a reduction if they meet the criteria, he said.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.