Kāinga Ora tenant Talita Mosaati, with her dog Ford, moved into her home in Rienzo Dr, Flat Bush, in August - along with her three boys. Photo / Tom Dillane
Kāinga Ora tenant Talita Mosaati, with her dog Ford, moved into her home in Rienzo Dr, Flat Bush, in August - along with her three boys. Photo / Tom Dillane
Property owners are rapidly deserting a quiet South Auckland neighbourhood with eight homes put to the hammer since September - and the sellers aren't shy about why.
Some new state housing neighbours have moved in down the road and, justified or not, they're not too welcoming of them.
In August, Housing NZ moved tenants into a row of 12 houses they had acquired in Rienzo Drive in a development in the outer Auckland suburb of Flat Bush - originally subdivided and sold in 2012.
The 12 double-storey adjoined houses were bought by Kāinga Ora, formerly Housing NZ, for more than $900,000 each in May.
Around 50 state housing tenants now call this row of four-bedroom properties home.
Almost immediately following the tenants' housing arrival in August, residents in the connecting streets, who predominantly bought in 2012, have been frantically selling up.
Since September, eight houses have been sold in a 200m radius of Rienzo Dr for an average price of $1.04 million.
But the motivation behind the real estate offload is a point of contention between the angry residents and Kāinga Ora who cite blatant Nimby-ism.
Flat Bush residents Alex Makil, Vanessa, Bhupi Singh and Raman Singh are asking Kāinga Ora to resolve the behavioural issues they claim their new stat housing neighbours are causing.
A group of around 20 Flat Bush homeowners have formed The Milano Heights Residents Association (MHRA) and since August been petitioning Kāinga Ora to deal with what they say are the constant behavioural issues of the state housing tenants.
"None of us can walk though the street without getting yelled at or sworn at, that is impossible," Raman Singh said
Another MHRA member Vanessa said the state housing neighbours on Rienzo Dr were "always having parties" and the urging of Kāinga Ora staff to "have compassion" for their new neighbours was not reciprocated.
"Well we can have compassion for them but they don't have any respect or compassion for us," Vanessa said.
"So I wouldn't go to my neighbour's house and start slashing their plants or start throwing pebbles but their kids don't understand that."
Another resident who has sold his Conti Drive property in October for $1.01 million, reportedly at a loss on his 2015 purchase, said he did so because his wife was scared.
"My wife doesn't want to live here. She feels scared because a couple of times when she drives there's kids on the road, pointing the fingers. And because it's too dangerous. What if she runs over someone," he said.
The MHRA met with Kāinga Ora staff in a November 11 meeting in which they played a PowerPoint presentation detailing their grievances.
In it, the residents complain of young children lying and playing on the road, and show footage of a car swerving to a halt near the corner of Rienzo Dr and a man forcibly ushering a woman into the car.
MHRA members and state housing tenants also report a young child on a bike was hit by a car in Rienzo Dr last week, but was not seriously injured.
Kāinga Ora's area manager Billie-Jo Paratene said they will be holding a Meet The Neighbours event soon to attempt to integrate the new neighbours.
"Communities are about people of all walks of life living together. Our Flat Bush tenants and properties are part of the Flat Bush community," Paratene said.
"Kāinga Ora tenants are part of society as a whole and reflect it across the board. Our tenants have the right to live in all areas of a city or town, it is not appropriate to single them out nor suggest they do not."
National MP for the area Andrew Bayly attempted to send a staff member to preside at the November 11 meeting, out of solidarity with the existing residents, but she was allegedly refused entry by Kāinga Ora staff.
A row of houses on Rienzo Drive, Flat Bush, South Auckland, bought by Kainga Ora for tenants who moved in, in August 2019. Photo / Tom Dillane
However, the legitimacy of the resident group's claims of state housing misbehaviour is undermined by Kāinga Ora's record of MHRA already expressing their concerns about their own house prices, from the state housing strip, in early August.
The Kāinga Ora tenants only just started moving in during August.
Left in the middle of all this are the Kāinga Ora tenants, who when the Weekend Herald visited them, were far more relaxed and philosophical about the neighbourhood cohesiveness than anyone else involved.
Talita Mosaati lives in one of the end houses in Rienzo Dr, and moved in from Ōtara in August along with her sisters and three boys.
Mosaati says she likes her new Flat Bush address for its calmness, but still misses the proximity to family in Ōtara and that area's Pacific island culture and food.
"I mean not having cops around [is welcome]. Our old street we had cops coming in every 10 to 15 minutes, so it's different," the 34-year-old said.
"It's good to get away from all that gang stuff eh. None of that down here, it's quiet, peaceful."
Mosaati says her family are grateful for the home, but still visit Ōtara regularly.
"Well I had to move anyways because of the stuff that was happening in my old house," she said.
Of the dispute waged by her pre-existing neighbours, Mosaati is sympathetic to the children playing on the road issue, which she too prohibits her boys from doing.
Of the antagonism to her presence, Mosaati, isn't too fussed.
"I'm still in the early stages [of getting to know people] because right now I like my own space. Don't need to get to know them yet. I mean some [Kāinga Ora] neighbours did cause trouble.
"I've met the neighbours across the road. They're actually cool, I like them.
"But I don't really mind. I mean if they're in their corner, I'm in my corner. If they want to come halfway I'll meet them halfway. I mean we're all human."
