Mother of three praises Government's relocation scheme

The Government's relocation scheme might have been branded a failure by the Opposition, but there's at least one very happy recipient.

Mother of three, Ally*, has taken up the offer and moves to Hamilton next week.

The Government is offering up to $5000 to social housing tenants and those without a home who move out of Auckland to the regions.

The grants don't have to be paid back and can go towards moving costs, bonds, letting fees and other expenses for a social house or a private rental.

Ally and her mother were both successful applicants and have accepted two houses just a few doors from each other.

Ally will live in one house with her 19-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son, while her 24-year-old daughter and 3-year-old granddaughter will live with Ally's mother, 77, in the other.

Ally has wanted to move out of Auckland for the last two years, but the high cost of moving has held her back.

When she heard about the Government's relocation scheme, she made "at least 10 calls" to Housing New Zealand, Winz and the Ministry of Social Development but no one seemed to know what she was talking about.

"Apparently I had more information than they did just from what I'd read off the internet."

After managing to make an appointment to sign up for the grant, she said it was all smooth sailing.

"It took about an hour, but my case manager was very thorough with it, and eight days later I had an offer of a house in Hamilton."

With just under a week to go until the big move, Ally is excited to get stuck into Hamilton life.

Her new house is just a minute's walk away from the school where her Year 7 son will attend, with a kindergarten right next door for her 3-year-old granddaughter. It's also a five-minute drive from the shops and "you can't get much better than that".

The scheme faced criticism when it was first announced, with concerns over the lack of job opportunities in the regions, but Ally is positive about her prospects.

"Apparently ... all the supermarkets are looking for people as well as The Warehouse," she said.

"I can't wait to get settled in and start to look for a job."

Ally admits the scheme is not for everyone, but "if they're serious about looking for better opportunities, or even making a fresh start in a new town and they can make it work for them, then I would definitely say yes, it is a very good offer".

* Not her real name.