Kaiti resident battles ongoing sewage problem for 20 years

Tonessa Nicholson outside her Huxley Rd property which faces enduring sewage issues. Nicholson says the problem has taken a significant toll on her health and left her without options. Picture by Liam Clayton

Raw sewage entering a Gisborne dwelling during rain events has left the property’s owner jobless and living in “survival mode”.

Tonessa Nicholson lives in a townhouse at Kaiti’s Huxley Rd, a place she has called home for more than 20 years.

But for much of that time, the mother of four has battled Gisborne District Council over a sewage issue which makes her place unlivable during weather events.

After as little as one day of persistent rain, Nicholson says the council’s piping network backs up, pushing raw sewage up her property’s pipes into toilets and sinks.

“I’m on eggshells every time it rains,” she said.

The family is forced to go to the toilet in buckets, or use the neighbour’s facilities until a truck is dispatched by the council to clear pipes and temporarily fix the problem.

In the case of Cyclone Gabrielle, that took three days.

“That means we don’t toilet, we don’t shower, we can’t wash dishes. We can’t do everyday functions, over the 20 years we’ve been dealing with this problem.

“It’s pretty much like camping every time there’s a heavy rainfall.”

Nicholson didn’t realise the stress her living situation was causing until her children grew up, and believed the issue was compounded by her house being located at the junction with another street.

“This has caused me so much stress living like this with my children, that I’m unemployed and sick now.  I’m on the sickness benefit.”

Asked what her options were going forward, Nicholson said she was stuck because of her lack of employment.

The banks won’t give her a loan to secure a new place, and her house was devaluing because of the backflow of water which had caused it to sink on its piles.

“I can’t move. I’m in checkmate.”

On top of the stress it had caused, Nicholson’s daughter Ishakahn said the issue had also affected the family’s physical health.

“We grew up in the house, and we got bronchial asthma. There were multiple times I was in hospital because of it,” Ishakahn said.

“And now I’ve got my son, we’re living back with my mum and he’s now got it.”

GDC water manager Leo Kelso said the council was empathetic to the homeowner’s situation, which had been exacerbated by stormwater coming from neighbouring properties.

The council would work with Nicholson to make improvements, including re-routing water to stormwater pipes and repairing a broken gully trap.

“The stormwater appears to be getting into the wastewater through their broken gully trap and is contributing to the on-property sewage problems,” Kelso said.

“Council will work with the property owners to re-route their roof water to council’s stormwater pipes in the street to reduce property flooding that is contributing to overflows.”

Kelso said there had been historical issues at the address which the council had tried to improve.

While the GDC had limited funds for working on private properties, he was confident solutions could be found.

“We will be working with property owners to make further improvements.”