Mother offered second mouldy house

An Auckland woman says her son's medical woes were caused my mould in their state house. Photo / iStock

An Auckland mother who says her youngest son's medical woes were caused by mould at the state house she and her family lives in has been offered a new home - but it's also mouldy.

Mother-of-two Te Ao Marama Wensor's youngest son, Iriah, 7, suffered from strokes.

She had been told by specialists that Iriah had holes in his lungs, and an enlarged heart, all as a result of the mould at her Glen Innes home.

Her story came to light on Friday, and Housing New Zealand said last week it had offered temporary motel accommodation to Ms Wensor and her family. Ms Wensor instead chose to temporarily move into her cousin's house while she waited for a Housing New Zealand transfer.

However, this morning Ms Wensor told Radio New Zealand she had been offered a new house in Avondale, but when she visited it, she found it was mouldy as well.

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Black mould was visible on the inside of some windows, along windowsills, curtains, and on the walls, she told the broadcaster.

"It's disgusting and there's mould up on the curtains and the window ledges and everything. It's a real big worry."

Ms Wensor turned down the property.

She had been reassured she would not lose her place on the priority list by doing so, she said.

In a statement to Radio New Zealand, Housing New Zealand said the property would have undergone a full maintenance and repair check before a new tenant moved in.

It would continue to look for a house for Ms Wensor, it said.

On Friday, Ms Wensor described how the Glen Innes house was so mouldy there were holes in the walls, and she feared she would wake up one day and her son would not "be there anymore".

"All the mould from the bathroom is just coming through to the walls. Because the water's coming straight down from the inside of the wall, coming down to the bottom, and it's just rotted all the wood on the side of it."

Last year one of her sons fell against the wall and went straight through it, she said last week.