Families forced to share home to cut costs

The Dessa and Ponini families say the only way they can manage financially is to live under one roof. Picture / Richard Robinson

Managing a household of seven children and six adults is no easy task, but for the Ponini and Dessa families, living under one roof is the only way they can manage financially.

And the latest rates increases are not helping matters.

"Last year our rates were $1582 and this year they are $2208. That works out at about $50 extra a month we have to come up with, which is difficult," said 60-year-old Chris Dessa.

The Sandringham household is made up of Chris Dessa and his wife Miri, their daughter Olga Ponini, her husband Boy and their four children, and Chris Dessa jnr, his wife Agnes and their three children.

Eleven of them were home when the Herald called yesterday.

"We are a hard-working, law-abiding family and things have got too expensive for ordinary people. What happened to the New Zealand values of owning your own house, going on holiday and saving for retirement?

"We aren't sitting on our backsides, we tell the kids to have three-minute showers, we don't use the spa and we collect rainwater to water the garden."

Mr Dessa snr and his wife bought the house 10 years ago, and the rest of the family moved in in January.

"I could accept, say, a small increase, but this is too much. We are all clubbing together to get by, but what about little old ladies and widows? What do they do?"

Olga Ponini said mothers who stayed at home to look after the kids were becoming an "extinct species".

"These days you need both parents working. I've been able to stay at home with the kids so far, but I am starting a new job next week."

The double-storeyed house, which is valued at $910,000, has six bedrooms, three bathrooms and two living rooms.

And the family aren't impressed at the $320 million upgrade of Eden Park for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Mr Dessa: "I love rugby, but there's too much money going into it ... The average New Zealander isn't going to benefit from the upgrade."

Mt Eden resident Fenella Tonkin, 49, is also angered at having to help foot the bill for Eden Park.

"I don't mind paying rates for rubbish collection and the upkeep of footpaths and all that, but not Eden Park. We are not a bottomless pit of money."

Ms Tonkin, who is single, self-employed and runs an antique shop, bought her Burnley Tce house in the 1980s for less than $30,000.

"It's now worth about $650,000, but that doesn't mean I'm rich. I bought it before kauri villas became trendy ... I don't know how I'm going to pay my rates now.

"My rates were $200 every three months and now they've gone up to almost $400.

"It's just not fair. Business is bad, petrol's gone up, and to get my hands on $400 all at once is going to be hard. I might have to close my shop."