KEY POINTS:
Here is an earlier selection of Your Views:
Phil
Another agency discovers that the principles of natural justice apply to poor brown people as much as anyone else.Housing Corp should have been keeping a contemporaneous record of any serious issues with any of its tenants and it
Sarah
They should have been evicted.
Jason
If you are pathetic, poorly educated, violent, gang orientated, highly abusive to your family and to the public, rely heavily on government benefits, have historical cultural grievances ... then you are at home in Clean Green New Zealand where decent hard working folk come last every time.
MCAC (Whangare)
Typical of the Tenancy Tribunal. The landlord is always the big ogre and the tenant can do no wrong. Give the decision to decent, reasonable Kiwis and see a different result. As for compensation, what about the neighbours seeking recompense for harassment and intimidation from the Salts?
JPS (Dunedin)
Ironic to hear the PM's comments because this incident is the direct result of rule by "progressive" moral relativist ex-hippies who believe citizens have endless "rights" without fulfuling any social responsibilities. Talk of compensation for this family will no doubt have Ms Bradford and her three or four supporters punching the air with delight. Social policy should be the issue to decide the next election.
Albert
Polls are down, election is next year, and it happened in her own very backyard, so, it's time for some action - showtime.Just look at the bunch of croonies she has that mucked up the whole country - the next party that takes over will have a lot of area cleaning to do, before they can start any work to improve the country.
John M
This is yet another example of the rediculous "rights" given by our liberal legislators to those who deserve none. I imagine next election we will be voting in large numbers for politicians who are willing to stand up for individual rights rather than favouring the most antisocial elements of our society. I'm sick of being told how to raise my own children by a Government, which ignores the warped underclass its policies encourage and protect. Lets hope the Prime Minister's concern in this matter is a little more focused than her ill considered profile in the Muliaga saga, which will no doubt result in sensible Kiwis all paying more for electricity as the government promotes more rights for wankers.
Steve
People have the right to live without fear of their neighbours, How long will they have to put up with the intimidation from the Salt family? This is wrong.
Westie
Does anyone know if one of those large icebergs in the Southern Ocean are still drifting about? As that would be the ideal place to put such a family as the Salts.
D Robertson
The solution is simple. Move the Salts in to the house next door to Tribunal adjudicator Amanda Elliot who ruled that there was insufficient evidence to end the Salt tenancy.
Mark in Sunny Auckland
This makes me sick. The members of the tribunal should be made to spend a few nights in that street. Again and again the criminals are the victims and the innocent have nothing to say. Just kick them out. Make them live on Campbell's Island.
Maureen Sheldon
believe the Tenancy Adjudicator may have had little option but to dismiss Housing NZ's request for eviction, if in fact it is true that there have been few disruptions since the 10 day notice to remedy was issued in January.
However, the reality is that the neighbours will very likely continue to face ongoing noise, intimidation and disruption. It is a very difficult situation because the Tribunal will not evict without substantial specific evidence which can be almost impossible to get. Another sad fact for me is that there were ongoing problems with Ms Salt and her tenancy back in the mid 1990's which the Tenancy managers did their best to resolve - I was a Housing NZ employee at the time.
Derek
This is a disgusting outcome, and I feel deeply for the neighbours. It's too bad the so-called adjudicator, Amanda Elliott - who rejected the evidence of the police, neighbours, noise control, and Housing NZ in all of this - can't be made to spend a month living next door to the Salt family. Come to think of it, the Salt family lawyer, should be made to join her.
Carl
Amanda Elliot should put her money where her mouth is - and move in next door to the Salts
Madashatter
Gee,wonder what you have to do in this place to run afoul of the system. Clearly you can brutally beat your kids, terrorise your neighbours and sit lally all day neer to work and reign secure knowing your ass is covered. When my tax dollars find their way into the pockets of the damned, something is very very wrong.
Nana
I think the Salt family should go as they are troublemakers. The mother either has no control over her nine kids or does not care. Housing NZ is government funded and I certainly do not want my tax going towards housing these no-hopers.
MDC (Auckland)
The one report I saw on TV showed the Tenancy Tribunal Adjudicator wading into Housing NZ, you would have thought that they were the ones on trial.Obviously she doesn't live in the street. I'm 100 per cent for peoples rights, but what about the rights of the neighbours and their kids? Get those video cameras out guys, evidence talks.
Paul H
The neighbours who provided evidence are no doubt regretting the decision and are probably fearful of retaliation. How will this decision affect others people in the same boat whose neighbours are causing havoc and distress? They'll decide it's not worth fighting and put up with living in fear. A poor result for society in general.
NFH
I feel so sorry for the neighbours of the Salts. We also live next to some neighbours from hell - I didn't know such antisocial people existed until we had the misfortune to build a house next to such a family. Threats, intimidation, abuse and fear have been our daily companions for nearly a year and it takes a huge toll. We are confined to the house when we are at home - unable to go out into the subdivision or even into our back yard for fear of another encounter with the neighbours or their children. We will be putting our house on the market shortly, which is very sad for us as it was our dream house, but we cannot live like this anymore. I expect people living near the Salts have sold up or will sell up for the same reasons, only now the name of their street has been made public it may be hard to find buyers.
People like the Salts (and our neighbours) always seem to win and it isn't right. We need legislation, like the Antisocial Behaviour Act recently introduced in the UK, to deal with the increasing numbers of antisocial people in our society.
Dave (Stanmore Bay)
The members of the tribunal must have their heads in the clouds and should be replaced. Sheer lunacy.
Tel (Wellington)
The family should be moved next door to Amanda Elliott.
Paul
I wonder if Mrs Salt will now be seeking compensation for all the mental anguish Housing New Zealand have put her through.
Russ
The decision to allow the Salt's to stay put, protects the bad residents and punishes good ones. Why not house the Salt's in an area where their own behaviour is common and see how they like it.
Teresa Prendiville
Has someone forgotten to tell the Tenancy Tribunal that to be granted a state house is a privilege not a right. Housing NZ has done "the right thing" in evicting this family. Poor Sharon Salt has had to endure a terrible time since the ruling from Housing NZ, what about the prolonged reign of terror this family has put their neighbours through, people who have no hope of ever selling their house, people who live in fear in their own homes due to this woman and her family. So the oldest three boys who caused the problems have left home? Right! For how long? Until this dies down then rest assured these little villains will be right back there again. The average New Zealander has the right to expect that Housing NZ tenants as neighbours are subject to the same rules as the private sector. Had this been a privately owned house tenanted by these thugs the landlord would have had the right to evict and the tenancy tribunal would have supported the decision. Once again this is not right.
Col
This seems to be a all to common result with this kind of case. We were forced to move from a house we purchased after a year because of a state housing tenant who made our life a misery. No one had the power to do anything about them, no matter how many times the police attended the property or animal control. They got another chance and that's after several complaints. From the first day we moved in we had their kids climbing into our garden over a high fence, rubbish thrown in our garden amongst other things. It's right the Prime Minister intervenes in this case and hoping the government give more teeth to the victims complaints.
Ian Morine
What an absolutely terrible decision by the Tenancy Tribual to not evict this "neighbour from hell". What do these people need to make a correct decision - to be terrorised themselves? We have had some appalling decisions come from our Court processes over the past few years, it's like they are a law unto themselves. This puts me in mind of the awful decision by the Maori Land Court, which led to the Seabed and Foreshore legislation, that was obviously going to lead to trouble and strife and decades of further compensation claims unless it was quickly stamped on by the Government, when it was not even an issue before then. Where are these decision makers coming from, I ask?
Kevin
Kick them out on to the street. I am sick and tired of my hard earned taxpayers money paying to house this sort. The whole family are a waste of space.
PD
Tribunal adjudicator Amanda Elliot should be made to go and live next door for a year and see how she likes it. Not enough evidence, yeah right!
Thecraw
Maybe now the Government will see how the Tenancy Act is so heavily in favour of the tenant and it is difficult for the landlord to have tenants removed. Somehow this decision is not surprising. If this wasn't in Helens constituent then I don't think she would have said anything and the decision would stand without any further action. Change the Act!
Anna
The tenants should be gone! What a bad call that was and what type of message does this send to other inconsiderate statehouse tenants. What further evidence do you need? The word of many neighbours or home owners should be enough. My advice is ring and continue to ring noise control or the police as soon as problems start, don't give any chance for habits to develop.
R.J.Carmichael
It is obvious to me that the decision has been made based on the law and that is what is required. If anyone is at fault in this it his Housing NZ.
Ash (Howick)
I totally agree as we need to have peaceful homes it is very important to feel safe and happy ,and that is a sign of healthy society ,neighbours should consider each other and respect each other and feel for each other.
JV Auckland
Isn't that typical!
Bruce
Irresponsible. Again common sense is absent. This is another group who obviously hide behind rules and regulations to conceal their laziness instead of doing the right thing.
Hyphen (Christchurch)
Once again the limp-wristed dewey-eyed PC libertarians win over common sense.
