Marie Hazledine-Barber

The rush of humanity attached to strings of communication reminds one of a comedy in which a speech from Julius Caesar ‘Romans,Countrymen lend me your ears’ in amongst the crowd a voice soared above the mumbling, “What is in your sack.?” Julius Caesar replies, “Ears.”

Humanity is so connected it appears in ordinary day life to be disconnected. From Government to Local Council, for all the rhetoric, mission statements, those empowered to choose paths to enrich, accept positive change for the good of the local people and indeed the country instead squander funds reflecting behaviour similar to the fairy tale ‘The Emperor with No Clothes’

The Emperor squanders huge amounts of money for clothes that are invisible tailored by clever tailors to prove a point. Those empowered to serve the people are in buildings, like the invisible clothes, busy with their own self importance squandering funds inhibiting progress, or quality of life, of any real importance impoverishing the people that they are there to serve.

A small proportion of the people in some cities unable to afford the market rent or buy their own home due to circumstances of income or in some cases misfortune in their lives, or those integrated to the community who have special needs and/or mentally challenged rent city council flats/units.

Christchurch City Social Housing Mission Statement to quote ..

Rents charged are significantly lower than market rates, the housing policy requires council owned housing be self-supporting and not funded from the collection of Christchurch City rates.

Since 1938 provision of the rentals including later years purchasing land and building new complexes, for the approx 2,000 tenants, including ongoing maintenance one would think the housing budget for the latter be bursting at the seams.Many of the older properties would have been paid for many times over by collection of rent. The newer built properties. by way of rent at the lower market rate, paying their way.

The housing budget should be well enough to move with progress, to provide proper insulation, heat pumps, efficient means to keep units warm and dry in the damp, smogged choked cold winter months endured by the Christchurch City.

Alongside the living in such council flats/units are the housing officers who deal with many issues concerning tenants. Tenants by law and human rights are allowed to express freely requests for maintenance, and be treated with respect, dignity and courtesy.

To give an example of the reality from one with special needs where simple requests turn into ‘We do not believe you’ ‘You ring too many times’ for the tenant one of frustration and anxiousness at being told he should be grateful. Technically offered solutions that defy any normal persons acceptance by any standards. Being offered shoddy second -hand equipment most would not have : certainly no councilperson would have in their homes.

A washing machine taking six months to sort after the approx. ten year old machine kept flooding, being told to bail the water out by hand with a jug. Being offered a second-hand one in a state of disrepair.

Resolution, to buy new one himself although part of the rent contract is supply of a washing machine which still he pays for.

The refrigerator kept icing up after approx 6-8 years of use, request for a new refrigerator was an arduous course of conflict and angst. Especially initially told to put his hand into the electrical works and fiddle with the thermostat that might help.

The standard waiting time for a plumber or electrician is ten days, can turn into weeks.

Placing a call is frequently meet with rudeness, what do you want and why, if personal still the question why, ring back the person required is out, at a meeting or away, so one rings back/back/back leaves a message. Creating conflict and confusion.

In the incidence of the tenant considering his concerns a higher level such as management speaks to the Christchurch City Council call centre senior manager to raise positive criticism of the difficulty on a simple request to advise his housing officer he had returned from holiday, to arrange a time and date to meet said officer the response was by way of question ‘Are you not grateful you have a council flat’: ‘To call so many times’ well over ten years and even his support group have meet with unacceptable behaviour. The call centre senior manager for Christchurch City Council if it is an issue of gratitude, the question could be asked of him ‘Is he grateful he has a job’

Many of the special need people climb hurdles many do not consider, also most are and have the lowest income in New Zealand. A little kindness support and full measure of the Christchurch City Council Mission statement for Social Housing should be exercised in its’ true meaning at the coal-face, where it is most needed for the people paid by the people.

Instead of Council squandering money with bail-outs of a private market business of 17 million dollars, art works, ridiculous failed ice-skating rink’ and many other extravagant plans that go awry, ‘paid by the rate payers’ the overview for the city is the people and local needs, much of the squandered money could have been put towards progress, for the rate payer, some for social housing the latter already being paid for by the tenants there should be an abundance in the coffers anyway. But the tenants are told there are constraints as the Council cannot afford simple requests.

A council and housing department that’s not managed by disconnected dysfunctional self important Emperors with no clothes. Supported by a mayor being an Emperor with no clothes. That appears to be the mission statement of Christchurch City Council.

One recalls the efforts by council to raise the rents (disproportionate to the service as proposed in a tenants contract) however ordered by the Courts to refund the tenants.

‘What’s in the sack?’ ‘EARS’  There is always an excuse not to listen. Or listen and ignore in the race for self importance. Rhetoric on silver tongues lashing the community is not acceptable to do just what one wants to do and disregard the requests of the local people including council tenants especially those that are not as fortunate as most normal people.