Nicola Young
I'VE HAD an uncomfortable dose of envy this week.
Yep, the ole green-eyed monster has popped up while I've been housesitting for my sister's neighbours in Auckland.
It's been wonderful to have a week up here with my boys, although I've still been working part of the time. The house we're in is beautiful - recently renovated. That's where this feeling of envy has come from - I just love the house!
The boys do too - mainly the collection of Lego and Nerf guns for them. For me, it's the lovely design features, spaciousness and quality furnishings that have roused a, thankfully, unfamiliar feeling in me.
Apparently, it's not good to covet your neighbour's possessions or oxen or even wives.
As the week has gone on, the feeling is fading a little - mainly because we've been making ourselves at home, so it's getting a little more "lived in" and I'm getting closer to having to do the work required to make it all spotless again ...
Most importantly though, given my environmentalist worldview, I've been struggling with the feeling of wanting more instead of being satisfied with and appreciative of what I have. Don't worry, I haven't secretly won Lotto - there is no way I can afford even a basic house in Auckland, let alone this lovely property.
At the same time, while in Auckland, I've heard about a friend of a friend renting one of "those houses" in Auckland we've all heard about - the mouldy walls, broken doors, and the landlord who has given them notice to move out after they asked for things to be fixed.
The unfairness is real. They have an advocate trying to seek redress via the Tenancy Tribunal, again, but it seems inevitable that the friend will be forced to shift.
The extra sad part is that she actually wants to stay - she doesn't own a car and the house is near the bus stop and extended family so it makes life a bit easier for her and her one-month-old baby. I don't know how a landlord can charge even a below market rent for substandard housing that creates a health risk to a newborn baby.
It really is more than an ethical question - there should be a rental warrant of fitness that protects vulnerable tenants and sets minimum standards for those difficult landlords that really do exist.
Apart from the crazy Auckland property market, I also braved the crazy Auckland traffic this week, although not travelling too far during the school holidays, so not as bad as I know it can be.
I do not miss the daily commute I used to do when living in Perth - nearly an hour each way.
Working from home or living in the provinces gives you so much more time in your life. While it was great being in the Auckland office with my lovely colleagues - even fitting in lunch on the waterfront one day - I'm happy to have it as an occasional treat rather than my everyday existence. Being walking distances from my children's school and preschool makes life easy.
My boys also have kept me focused on what really matters, even as I get used to my life of luxury.
Their highlights have been having a cat to look after, being near a really cool playground, "rocket" park, and spending time with their cousins. As long as my house is warm and dry, near my family and an outdoor park, I'll be set.
-Nicola Young has worked in government and private sectors in Australia and NZ and now works from home in Taranaki for a national charitable foundation. Educated at Wanganui Girls' College, she has a science degree and is the mother of two boys.