The woman allegedly set large fires in her backyard fuelled by rubbish. Photo / Supplied
The woman allegedly set large fires in her backyard fuelled by rubbish. Photo / Supplied
A Kāinga Ora tenant is accused of confronting her neighbours with a shovel and large knife then threatening to kill them and “bathe in your blood” while her dog feasted on their remains.
The alleged incident, which neighbours claimed was witnessed by at least one child, occurred last month at a South Island social housing complex and followed what neighbours claim has been a terrifying 18-month campaign of harassment and racial abuse.
The woman, in her 20s, is now facing charges and there are warrants out for her arrest.
Neighbours say she has been moved to temporary accommodation following multiple police call-outs and complaints about her behaviour from fellow tenants who claim that they have feared for their families’ lives.
One of those neighbours, Pam*, has lived at the 11-unit complex for more than two years with her partner and daughter.
She claimed the woman constantly targeted her family with offensive racial taunts, foul language and violent threats.
Pam said her daughter witnessed the alleged October 2 knife incident and had been traumatised by what she described as the woman’s many frightening episodes.
The daughter was too scared to sleep alone, needing her mother to sleep with her.
Pam said she had also been deeply affected by the women’s actions. She said she had developed post-traumatic stress disorder, had difficulty sleeping and was receiving counselling.
She said another neighbour suffered fractured ribs after allegedly being assaulted with a piece of wood by the woman and her then-partner last year.
The Herald understands the man had complained repeatedly about the woman to Kāinga Ora tenancy managers before eventually being transferred out of the complex to escape the situation.
Pam said police had responded to numerous 111 calls about the woman’s behaviour and firefighters had been called when she lit large fires in her yard fuelled by rubbish.
Photos of the woman’s unit show it strewn with clothing, trash and debris, with holes in the walls and garbled messages scrawled across the property.
Pam said she repeatedly complained to Kāinga Ora, urging officials to act.
In an October 3 email, Pam claimed the woman “has used weapons [shovel, long bladed knife and aggressive dog] to threaten the lives of myself, my partner and my children”.
“My 11 year old daughter is extremely traumatised and, like other tenants in this complex, we are living in fear.
The email warned she believed the matter required “urgent action”.
An email sent to another tenancy manager the previous evening detailed what Pam described as violent threats.
“She has approached us with a shovel, a knife, and her dog, threatening to kill us and to set her dogs on us to let them chew us to pieces and she would then bathe in our blood,” Pam claimed.
The email said Pam’s family was left “fearful and concerned for our safety”.
“My daughter doesn’t want to stay at our home tonight, as a result of this incident. We should not have to live in fear in our own home.”
The woman allegedly set large fires in her backyard fuelled by rubbish. Photo / Supplied
Police had expressed an urgency to act as the woman’s behaviour had escalated to the point where she was using weapons and making direct threats to kill, Pam claimed in the email.
She told the Herald that Kāinga Ora finally took action several weeks ago, moving the woman to temporary accommodation while it searched for a permanent solution.
However, she had returned several times as she was still technically a tenant.
Contractors had begun clearing the unit, which was soiled with dog faeces and required numerous repairs, Pam said.
She felt Kāinga Ora had been too slow to act, and failed in its obligations to keep tenants safe.
A Kāinga Ora spokesperson told the Herald the agency was concerned about everyone involved in the “upsetting” case and the potential impacts.
Handwritten messages were left scrawled over the woman's Kāinga Ora unit. Photo / Supplied
“We are doing everything we can as a landlord. This isn’t a situation that can be taken at face value, but it’s also not appropriate for us to discuss the personal aspects at play.”
Kāinga Ora was working with health and wellbeing services and police to find a solution, the spokesperson said.
“Even with a number of agencies working together, it does take time, but we are confident that we will have a permanent solution in place soon.”
Police said they were aware of issues involving the complex.
A woman in her 20s had been charged with multiple offences.
