KEY POINTS:
The mother at the centre of a Housing New Zealand bid to evict her from her home broke down in tears as she told the Tenancy Tribunal she had asked three of her older sons to move out.
Sharon Salt's family have been accused of terrorising their neighbours in Range View Rd, Owairaka.
Neighbours have appeared before the tribunal alleging they have had fireworks thrown at them, had a window broken and couldn't sleep at night with large numbers of young people drinking in the street.
"I've told the three older boys to stay away from home," Mrs Salt told the tribunal yesterday.
"Their friends are no longer welcome to my home. I only have the five younger children."
Housing New Zealand solicitor Hiranthi Abeygoonesekera said associates of two of Mrs Salt's gang-member sons had been causing problems in the neighbourhood.
She said neighbours lived in fear of the large number of gang associates who gathered outside the Salt property.
"One neighbour says she now has to find alternative accommodation," Ms Abeygoonesekera said.
Earlier, tribunal adjudicator Amanda Elliott asked her how many times Housing NZ had sent staff to the property to discuss complaints.
"They haven't gone. There have been police matters, not Housing New Zealand matters," Ms Abeygoonesekera said.
Ms Elliott acknowledged there had been problems on Range View Rd but she said incidents raised by Housing New Zealand were historic.
"If things are getting better then I'm not going to terminate someone's tenancy," she said.
Salt family lawyer John Foliaki read out statements from other residents of Range View Rd who said the Salts had been good neighbours.
One young woman said in her affidavit that she had been accompanied to the supermarket by two boys from the family who told her it wasn't safe to walk by herself.
Ms Elliott said a decision on the Salts' fate would be handed down in weeks rather than months.
