NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

The battle for Paritai Drive: Landlord and tenant in court over unpaid rent stoush at $3m home

Anna Leask
By Anna Leask
Senior Journalist - crime and justice·NZ Herald·
4 Jul, 2020 10:38 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

This Paritai Drive house has been the subject of a Tenancy Tribunal stoush between the owner and renter. Photo / Google

This Paritai Drive house has been the subject of a Tenancy Tribunal stoush between the owner and renter. Photo / Google

A stoush between a tenant and landlord over more than $10,000 in unpaid rent and allegations of anti-social behaviour and harassment at a rental property on one of Auckland's most prestigious streets has ended up in court.

The property sits on Paritai Drive in Orakei - one of the most exclusive streets in the city and home to a host of high-profile and high-wealth people.

Owned by Margaret Alison Boyce, the 1930s-built character home is worth $3 million and boasts four bedrooms, a covered terrace and views of the harbour and city.

"This great property has 3 generous double bedrooms and a converted attic fourth bedroom or office with its own sea view," the listing in October read.

"Enjoy produce from your own well established garden with multiple fruit trees and raised beds to grow your herbs."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In October last year Boyce rented the property to Diana Diaz for $750 per week.

The property listing stated that the rental term was six months initially - but with the possibility of an extension.

Boyce agreed to let Diaz stay in the house when the six-month period ended in April.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But after that, the relationship between the women soured.

At some point Diaz stopped paying rent and Boyce took action in the Tenancy Tribunal.

A decision on the matter was released this week.

"The landlord applied for termination of the tenancy due to rent arrears, alleged
anti-social behaviour and refund of the bond," tenancy adjudicator John Hogan said.

Discover more

New Zealand

Time to buy? Auckland rental returns hit the sweetspot

30 Jun 05:38 PM
New Zealand

Distressed woman awarded $500 compo after private possessions appear in sale ad

01 Jul 07:32 PM
New Zealand|politics

Boho House no more: Hamilton's colourful 106-year-old home bulldozed

02 Jul 04:43 AM
New Zealand

Landlord claims he was punched in the back of head, but fails in bid to evict tenant

02 Jul 08:23 AM

"On her application the landlord alluded to certain anti-social behaviour, property
damage, police attendance at the property and complaints from neighbours.

"The tenant applied for compensation due to a failure to maintain and alleged
harassment, breach of privacy and defamation."

Diaz denied claims by Boyce about activity and behaviour at the property.

Both women provided extensive documentation to the tribunal to support their claims.

But the tribunal found regardless of the accusations between them - Boyce was entitled to terminate the tenancy immediately because of the non-payment of rent.

At the tribunal hearing Diaz said there were "numerous repair [and] property maintenance issues".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She said drainage pipes blocked, there were faulty door handles, water seepage on the roof and around windows, disintegrating joinery, slippery paving a faulty dishwasher, a toilet that would not flush, rusted hot plates on the stove, dysfunctional light fittings, a problematic fuse board, leaking spouting and issues with water pressure, bathroom tiles and a shower curtain.

She sought $3750 in compensation from Boyce as a result.

The tribunal heard from Boyce who was "surprised" about the claims and responded to each of the issues stating that some had been attended to or that she had not been informed of others.

Further, she said it had been difficult to get access to the house.

Hogan said the difficulty for Boyce was even if she proposed to eventually demolish the house, she was still obliged to provide and maintain the house in "a reasonable state of repair".

That meant "normal investment in maintenance items" and the tribunal said "even large issues still need to be invested in if the property is rented".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It may be that had this tenancy been continuing, I would have ordered work
orders and or a professional report on the state of the property,'" Hogan said.

"There is no point now in making such orders, but on balance noting that the
weekly rent is $750 per week, I will accept that to a large extent the tenant is
likely to have identified many issues needing attention and the above
compensation order is made."

Diaz further claimed Boyce had breached her privacy and defamed her by speaking to other residents.

But Hogan found Boyce had communicated "respectfully" with her tenant.

"Indeed both parties did, for a large period of the tenancy and that the relationship only seems to have deteriorated after rent was not paid and Ms Boyce received serious complaints from neighbours about problems occurring at the property," he said.

"That left Ms Boyce no alternative but to inquire and attempt to deal with those
complaints."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hogan said he would not address those issues further as it was clear to him it was a matter of Boyce "attempting to manage what was reported to her as happening at the property".

"She of course was obliged to do that," he said.

"Further I do not find there was harassment."

The tribunal had no jurisdiction to address defamation allegations.

Hogan ordered Diaz to pay Boyce $10,170.58 but after he took off the compensation for damage and the bond she paid to move into the property - $3000 - she only has to pay the balance of $4,170.58.

Hogan said the money was to be paid "immediately".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He ordered the Bond Centre to refund the $3000 Diaz paid to Boyce immediately

All other claims were dismissed.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'How they do it in the West Coast': Man disfigures family dog in drunken attack

09 May 03:36 AM
New Zealand

Thunderstorms, heavy downpours tipped for Auckland and North Island during rush-hour

09 May 03:35 AM
New Zealand

'Prime focus': Avocado industry targets global markets

09 May 03:08 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'How they do it in the West Coast': Man disfigures family dog in drunken attack

'How they do it in the West Coast': Man disfigures family dog in drunken attack

09 May 03:36 AM

Ronan Apiti said Buck the dog was like one of his children.

Thunderstorms, heavy downpours tipped for Auckland and North Island during rush-hour

Thunderstorms, heavy downpours tipped for Auckland and North Island during rush-hour

09 May 03:35 AM
'Prime focus': Avocado industry targets global markets

'Prime focus': Avocado industry targets global markets

09 May 03:08 AM
'Scene of utter devastation': Shopkeeper had only just moved in when Winz fire destroyed shop

'Scene of utter devastation': Shopkeeper had only just moved in when Winz fire destroyed shop

09 May 03:00 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP