Nightmare continues for family of asbestos-contaminated property

From left, Bryleigh Manley, 3, Natalie Manley, Anthony Manley, Cassadee Manley, 6, Jaedyn Manley, 10 return everyday to the contaminated house to feed their cat. Photo / Duncan Brown

A Hastings family locked out of their asbestos-contaminated property for almost a month say they are living an ongoing nightmare.

The Kiwi St property and the neighbouring one became contaminated after a contractor allegedly waterblasted a roof that was thought to have asbestos in it.

The contractor has refused to comment when approached by Hawke's Bay Today.

For Anthony Manley and his family, the uncertainty continues to gnaw away. They will soon have a temporary house provided by their landlord instead of living in a hotel.

They were only in the house for six months prior to the contamination.

"We haven't been in that place for long but we were moving in setting stuff up and really making it into a home," Manley said.

But the possibility to move back home doesn't look like it will be coming any time soon.

"Now the entire place has to be gutted any soft furnishings thrown out, like carpet, curtains, couches and even the kids' toys.

"They might as well gut the place and put it down to fire cause there's not going to be much left."

Neighbour of the Manleys, Abbey Hillman, and her family of eight, finally moved back home on Monday, but there is still an eerie feeling in the air, she said.

"It's an uncomfortable feeling to think if our house is really safe or not," Hillman said.

"Just with the fences up at the neighbours and the full clean up going on we're just concerned about how much is going to be done and if they can contain it and prevent us from contamination when we're literally right next door."

Hillman is nine months pregnant and has a 10-month-old baby as well as a son with a rare medical condition.

She first contacted Housing New Zealand with concerns about possible asbestos contamination on her neighbour's property. Two days later she was told to leave.

"The pressures of being away also put strain on our financial situation. It was quite a bad time," Hillman said.

While her husband thought it was asbestos, she was sceptical about what it would be.

"It caused quite bad contamination. There was dust all over the windows, the grass, the hedge, my pool - everywhere. It even came inside," Hillman said.

"The next day I spoke to HNZ and they arranged to come and meet us the next day."

She was told they could transfer to properties elsewhere in Hawke's Bay. A day later, she was told there was no accommodation available in Hawke's Bay.

The family decided to spend two weeks in HNZ accommodation in Whakatane, where they have family, and the rest in a Napier motel.

Housing New Zealand said it was notified about the possibility of contamination on January 23 and conducted testing the following day.

On January 25 it received results showing there were traces of asbestos on the exterior of the property.

A HNZ spokesman has said, "we have worked closely with Work Safe, the local council, the private owner and the insurance company. We are working hard to get the tenants back into their home as soon as possible".