The Front Page podcast: Why aren’t more Kāinga Ora tenants evicted over complaints?

A Hamilton woman recently shared a harrowing story about confrontations with her neighbours. Photo / Katelyn Park

Kāinga Ora is getting bad press again, following the publication of the harrowing story of a Hamilton woman who for years lived next door to disruptive and disrespectful tenants.

It is just the latest in a string of stories, stretching back years, that tell of neighbours enduring abuse, aggression and anti-social behaviour.

Despite Kāinga Ora receiving more than 10,000 complaints over a recent 14-month period, the organisation has only terminated two tenancies over that period.

Speaking to The Front Page podcast, Kāinga Ora general manager of national services Nick Maling says it’s important to remember that not all those complaints are for serious issues.

“About 85 per cent of those are for minor things like car noise, frequency of visitors to a property or lawns not being mowed,” Maling says.

“About 90 per cent of tenants received no complaints at all in this period. And just 3 per cent of our tenancies received more than one complaint.”

Maling explains there are processes in place that must be followed in the event of a complaint. And only in the most serious instances will an eviction be pursued.

Also joining The Front Page, NZ Herald deputy chief of news Lane Nichols offers a reminder that the anti-social behaviour observed often stems from underlying issues.

“Often these troublemakers have entrenched problems,” says Nichols.

“There are mental health problems, there might be alcohol or drug addiction, as well as inter-generational poverty and domestic violence. There are some really complex issues that are going on at the heart of this – and just kicking somebody out isn’t really going to solve the problem. They’re either going to wind up on the street, living in their care or moving to a private tenancy and causing problems there.”

This ultimately leaves the neighbours living next to these people in a fraught position, where they have to wait for Kāinga Ora to take the necessary action.

• So who are the types of people living in Kāinga Ora homes?
• What are the rules for eviction?
• Why do some residents feel they get no support until their story goes to the media?
• Is Kāinga Ora moving fast enough to address complaints?
• And are internal systems being changed to help those who feel unsafe or threatened?

Listen to the full episode of The Front Page podcast for the full story on this issue.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. It’s presented by Damien Venuto, an Auckland-based journalist, with a background in business reporting, who joined the Herald in 2017.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.