Vandals targeted emergency accommodation at the Tupoho Community Complex in Whanganui for the second time in two weeks.
Sorry kids, your holiday activities have been cancelled.
And to the family in desperate need of emergency accommodation, keep looking, because the empty home that was being prepared for you has been sabotaged.
Windows were smashed and stairs were stolen by vandals at Tupoho Community Complex over the weekend -meaning children will miss out on holiday activities.
That compounded issues for the Tupoho Whānau Trust, which had almost finished preparing a house as emergency accommodation when it was also targeted last week.
It had d been preparing the house after it was vandalised last year, but that will now be delayed as almost all of its large glass windows were smashed and wooden doors kicked in.
Tupoho Whānau Trust kaiwhakahaere Aroha Beckham said the damage was horrific.
"We'd been working hard, we'd put in a stove and a fridge and three weeks ago we had the fire extinguishers checked so it was ready for people to move into," Beckham said.
"Who would want to do something like this? We're incredibly disappointed, sad and despondent because there are huge needs for emergency housing."
The home was vandalised a year ago by a 12- and 13-year-old who were caught in the act and forced to clean the property up.
However, there was no recoup of costs for what needed to be repaired and Beckham estimated that amounted to between $6500 and $7000 to get the job done.
"That happened probably a year ago and it has taken us this long to actually get it back to standard," Beckham said.
"Because the windows are so big, they cost us about $500 each."
Aroha Beckham was despondent after the Tupoho Community Complex was targeted by vandals for the second time in two weeks. Photo / Jesse King
On Sunday, Beckham was sent a text message and later received a phone call informing her that another Tupoho building had been targeted.
"I thought, here we go again. I came down and the door was opened, the window was smashed and the steps were missing," she said.
"Seriously, who takes steps? They've ripped them off and taken them away."
This room was on another side of the site and was supposed to be a hub of activity for staff members' children throughout the holiday break.
Staff will now have to work overtime to clean the buildings up and a phone call to one local glazier revealed that the windows couldn't be replaced until Friday.
Tupoho runs social services, it has financial mentors and runs educational programmes for the Department of Corrections.
