Residents of a neat and tidy part of Glen Innes reacted with horror yesterday when told their Housing New Zealand properties might be contaminated with chemicals from old market gardens.
As the noise of a motor mower interrupted the quiet of the well-established leafy neighbourhood, children played in back yards waiting
for their parents to come home.
Housing New Zealand (HNZ) tenants admitted they had not taken television reports of the contamination too seriously.
Most homes had trim lawns and vegetables growing in gardens out the back.
However, residents were not fully aware they might be living in a neighbourhood identified by authorities as potentially contaminated.
Donna Cowley, playing outside with her 23-month-old son Nikau, said HNZ should test soil in the interests of everybody's health and safety.
"Of course they should test it."
Another man leaning on his backyard fence said: "If there are any problems HNZ will put it off."
Late yesterday the corporation issued a statement saying it was committed to keeping tenants informed but would decide what to do "over the next few days" after seeking expert advice.
Its central Auckland regional manager, Graham Bodman, encouraged tenants to listen to the advice of health professionals.
He said HNZ would contact the tenants as soon as it had clearer information.
Herald Feature: Conservation and Environment
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