I read with interest Paul Hunt’s article (Hawke’s Bay Today, September 14, 2023) and agree that of course, we are facing a housing shortage. What I do object to is his reference to New Zealanders up and down the country telling Kāinga Ora they do not want their clients as neighbours.
Consistently I read and hear comments from people, not opposing the building of Kainga Ora housing, but objecting to the fact that these tenants will be housed in homes no better than the motels they have come from.
Nobody wants to be a Nimby (not in my backyard) or even a Cave (citizens against virtually everything) person, but to view families crammed into areas without adequate parking, suitable infrastructure or green areas is beyond what most caring New Zealanders would find acceptable.
Not to mention the constant danger the children living there face from vehicles driving beside the narrow walkways.
If Kāinga Ora wishes to gain support from neighbourhoods in which it plans to build, it needs to up its game and build residences that will provide safety and a reasonable quality of life for both tenants and neighbours.