Kāinga Ora nightmare: Christchurch mum alleges horror neighbours

A Christchurch mum has raised concerns over alleged unruly neighbours. Photo / File

A Christchurch mum has described her Kāinga Ora accommodation as “a living hell”, claiming neighbours have been stealing from her, verbally abusing her and trapping her in her own home.

Kāinga Ora says it is taking the claims very seriously – and involving other agencies – but a spokesperson said it is constrained in what it can say for privacy reasons.

Mother-of-four Sarah, who asked for her surname not to be published, has been living in her flat for eight months.

But she says about two months into her tenancy, new neighbours moved in and she has been living in fear ever since.

“It’s like a living hell,” she said.

Sarah said she has been verbally abused, threatened and had things stolen on more than one occasion.

“I often hear people yelling and screaming, people jumping into my backyard, climbing on roofs, throwing things at my car,” she said.

A Christchurch Kāinga Ora resident has described her family's accommodation as like a 'living hell'. Photo / NZME

On more than one occasion, the neighbours’ kids have blocked her from leaving her garage to pick her girls up from school, she told the Herald.

She said the new tenants include eight children, some of them infants. Sarah said toddlers often run around in the middle of the nearby main road.

A video provided to the Herald shows three toddlers, one naked, running onto the road.

“They’re just so neglected, it breaks my heart,” she said.

Sarah said the disruption has become progressively worse, and alleges that a neighbour’s partner has threatened to “bash” her if she exposes their behaviour.

“I’m a solo mum, I’ve dealt with domestic violence in my past and me and my kids are just trying to heal,” she said.

Sarah said she has approached Kāinga Ora multiple times and laid a complaint as she and her four young daughters don’t feel safe.

“They just dismiss me every time,” she said.

Kāinga Ora Canterbury regional director Liz Krauze told the Herald the complaints have been raised with their team and they are taking them “very seriously ... particularly as children and young people are involved”.

The frontline team were speaking with those involved and working with other agencies who have the experience and the mandate to deal with the relevant issues raised, Krauze said.

“If there is clear evidence of disruptive behaviour happening, we will take action under the Residential Tenancies act ... to support the appropriate behaviour changes,” she said.

“We house some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable people, some of whom have underlying issues and complex needs that we as a landlord cannot address. For privacy reasons, we are limited in what we can comment on.”

The Herald attempted to contact Sarah’s neighbours but they did not respond.

Katie Oliver is a Christchurch-based Multimedia Journalist and breaking news reporter.

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