Napier’s Victoria Masonic Flats to be demolished to meet Healthy Homes standards, tenants given 90 days’ notice

The Victoria Masonic Village in Morris Spence Ave, Napier, where residents are now looking for new homes, long-term or short-term, after being told to vacate by the end of July to enable the building of new accommodation. Photo / Doug Laing

As many as 30 pensioners are looking for new homes after being given 90 days to vacate one of Hawke’s Bay‘s oldest pensioner villages so that it can be rebuilt.

Landlords and charitable trust the Napier District Masonic Trust says the notices were prompted by the need to comply with Healthy Homes legislation by July 1.

Residents of Napier’s Victoria Masonic Flats, off Morris Spence Ave, Onekawa, were told on Tuesday, April 29, the flats had to be vacated by the end of July.

The trust hopes to have the new village built within 12 months.

Most residents who spoke with Hawke’s Bay Today, but declined to be publicly identified, are annoyed about the “sudden” nature of the announcement and worried about their prospects going into winter during a nationwide housing crisis.

They had been aware the trust was investigating its options, but one said the notice came as “a bit of a shock”.

Another, who believed he would be “all right”, said “it all starts from now” but he worried for others, including some long-term residents who might not have family in the region.

“Napier is my home and I don’t want to have to leave,” said another, who has lived in the city more than 25 years and didn’t know what options he has.

The trust, which provides about 300 beds in rentals and care facilities in Napier, was faced with bringing the flats up to healthy homes standards by July 1.

CEO Vicki Lee said Tuesday was “not a good day” for anyone, including the trust, which was committed to providing affordable, healthy homes for pensioners on lower incomes.

It was a “terrible” decision to have to make, she said, adding it would have been a sudden “realisation” of what was happening, rather than a complete surprise.

Renovation to meet the standards was explored in depth, she said, but it was ultimately determined to be impractical and not viable across the site of 51 single- and double-bedroom flats, built mainly in the early 1960s.

Residents would have noticed site testing taking place and that about a quarter of the flats had not been re-let since becoming vacant, pending the decisions.

Lee said of the perceived lack of notice: “We couldn’t tell them what was happening, because we didn’t know ourselves.”

Assessment included whether some units could remain in use during construction around them and whether the site was still suitable for such a village.

Lee said that whatever had been decided would have meant residents being out of the homes during winter.

“We have to comply, just like any other landlord,” she said.

Residents can apply for other trust flats as they become available and the trust has also referred them to government agencies and Napier City Council, which is selling 72 of its 377-strong housing stock and focusing on pensioner flats.

A village manager will be on site this week to discuss wellbeing and prospects with residents, many of whom had already visited agency offices and were awaiting interviews.

While they have until July 31 to vacate, those remaining after June 30 will not have to pay rent.

Discussions with residents had also included what could be done to bring the flats up to healthy homes standards, Lee said.

Napier City councillor Maxine Boag, who holds the council housing portfolio and whose Nelson Park Ward includes the village, is worried that in a housing crisis, vulnerable people could struggle to find “parallel” affordable accommodation.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said it was not aware of other similar situations (involving group tenancies), pointing out that the landlords had had six years to prepare for the compliance deadline, but that no survey on preparedness had been done since January last year.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today and has 52 years of journalism experience, 42 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues and personalities.