Marie Hazledine-Barber

Christchurch
City Council Social Housing :
I WALK ALONE

New Zealand cities are the people. Some of those people who make up the cities, and have contributed to the nation, are a small proportion who requires affordable housing. Many are less fortunate financially through circumstances, some are disabled, and some are special needs. Nevertheless their contribution and efforts should not be overlooked or disregarded. Those who are empowered in city councils should recognize the daily effort and hurdles the less fortunate or special needs people have to cross that most of us take for granted
The housing stock owned by the Christchurch City Council state in their Proposal for Funding Portfolio: Since 1938 and 2007 their housing stocks require refurbishment although in general the units are in reasonable condition.
69 years of collecting rent, rises along the way, one would expect as Landlord the Christchurch
City Council housing stock through maintenance would be in reasonable condition. Not forgetting many of the tenants themselves take pride in their affordable home developing beautiful gardens, adding personal touches caring for their environment.
In a country like
New Zealand it is a sad indictment on our society when the reality is those less fortunate carry the yoke of mismanagement, greed, stupidity, self serving, pompous, arrogant, wasteful disrespectful councils who are in a privileged position as servants to serve the city for the good of all people: as it consistently appears to be the case with the Christchurch
City Council.
Extravagant spending of $17 million dollars on a bail out from failing property developer Dave Henderson with the excuse he may in the future buy the buildings in the inner city back, in his mid sixties and being bailed out why would he! Then a $1 million on an inflatable dome, works of art to supposedly rejuvenate the inner city. Plus an estimated $400,000 to buy the popular World Buskers Festival comment from the Mayor Bob Parker is one of “declines to comment”!!
For the council in response to a High Court decision to refund the 24% rent rise imposed on the tenants who are already on very low incomes to suspend so called all non-essential maintenance.
Now seeking to gradually raise the rent and produced a planned portfolio of intent to refurbish the housing stock. Comment of the housing stock is that it should be self funding. Good property business practice would agree with the principle. Then one would question why are so many of the units old and modern have been ignored in design and good business practice.
Why are the tenants made to feel guilty, that they are a nuisance, or threatened, abused by rudeness that any request that is reasonable is treated with disrespect. Frustrated tenants’ then endeavor to cope with a dysfunctional maintenance program and can wait for weeks for a so called “non essential work” eg no water pressure for a plumber to arrive to fix.
The housing Department ignore Tenancy Tribunal rulings when the Council is bound by law to the Residential Tenancies Act to maintain housing to a reasonable state of repair and abide by the contract of each tenant.
Life of one special needs tenant.. He is Prada Willie, has lived in his flat for nearly ten years and paid his rent. In his contract rent includes a refrigerator and a washing machine. After nearly eight years the refrigerator began to fail and ice-up. He was told to make it work by putting his hand through the ice box and tickle the thermostat. After much arguing and stress the council finally sent him to purchase a new refrigerator. However when the washing machine failed after nine years and flooding intermittently he was told to hand bail out the water with a jug. Then told it was not flooding at all. After some months proving the machine did in fact flood he was offered a replacement second hand washing machine that was in a state of disrepair. A tribunal meeting and six months effort a private party bought the tenant a new machine and told the council to remove the second hand machine that no normal citizen would find reasonable to use.
Any reasonable and fair request for maintenance or care is greeted in a manner that is obstructive, dysfunctional, rude and dismissive.
To the point one becomes to question the expenditure of such extravagant spending such as bail-outs, inflatable domes etc when the housing department of Christchurch
City Council is fractured, lacks leadership, inspiration, awareness of the grief it puts their tenants through, citizens, people of the city who pay for services by way of rent and are pushed to extremes that most ordinary person would not entertain in their lives. I am sure the Mayor would not like to be treated in his home the same. Or have service people walking in his absence.
The hardship of struggling to pay for power in the winter using inefficient heating in flats with non insulated walls and freezing conditions and those with medical reasons are denied efficient heat pumps to disperse damp air and mold. Unless you are wheel chair bound.
It is a disgraceful way to treat and burden those that are less fortunate; we should celebrate and care for them. The simple things of life to aid their quality of life should come before luxury ticket items and above all treated with courtesy and respect. After all they have paid the rent and for the services.
The Christchurch
City Council housing stock can afford to do so but the constraints appear to have formed through mismanagement, greed and waste by the Council themselves.

For years Shayne Sime aged 42 after a severe head and spinal injury, struggled in life as a paralysis gradually crept through his body, rendering him wheel chair bound. An injury in the medical world in New Zealand called the silent injury.

Living alone in his own silent world, the monumental effort to just achieve simple tasks the able bodied complete with ease, the frustrations, the agony asking for help, the sadness in feeling the incomplete man.

Shayne Sime joined a gun club that family felt was a place to meet other “blokes” be accepted as a contributing member, respected in spite of his crippling state, and have a social life with a positive future. After all he could drive a car using hand controls.

Shock waves swept through New Zealand as the news broke that police had shot a paraplegic and the McLean’s Island Club members (Gun Club) reeled at the news it was Shayne Simes who had broken or snapped firing his guns into a quiet neighborhood with bullets that could potentially travel 7KM, he had a stash of a hundred rounds.

Shayne with some mobility wheeled himself around his home indiscrimtaly firing into the night.

Police arrived and the tragic end there was no other choice ,for the police, but to shoot Shayne dead. A Suicide by the Police act with deliberate thought by Shayne.

One reflects on Shayne ‘s life and one ponders had the social support allowing him to live a life of quality with ease, greater financial aid, living for Shayne took courage, strength, fantastic hope and desire, yet beaten down by social constraints to a world of fear, loneliness and despair.

His mother always supportive but parents become older and less able to support their children. Shayne’s mother nursed him over the years sacrificing the pursuit of happiness in her own life.

Those that are disabled, or special needs should have the right to live independently as Shayne did, to be free to make choices but sadly and with tragic consequences Shayne did not let his country down, his country let him down.

For the New Zealand Police a body of men and woman working the front line for the betterment of the community in such circumstances Suicide by Police one has to feel sadness for them as well in such dire circumstances.

As we as New Zealanders live on, Shayne Sime‘s actions will to, but let this remind all New Zealanders these are our countrymen, citizens of New Zealand who are disabled, special needs, homeless and instead of frivolously wasting energy, money, from Government to Local Bodies is it not time to really care for these souls, giving a structure of social support to ease the burden that weighs on their shoulders that cripple the body and mind.