Pensioner With No Power In Caravan For Six Years Finally Gets New Home
Steven Connelly, 67, spent years on a waitlist.
4 July 2025
A pensioner living in a leaky caravan with no power for six years now has a new home to call his own.
Steven Connelly, 67, moved into his home at the new elder housing village in Katikati two weeks ago after four years on the waitlist.
Connelly previously lived in a caravan on a relative's property. There was no power, a long-drop toilet and Connelly slept with a bucket on the bed to catch the leaks when it rained.
Asked if it was good to have somewhere warm and dry to live, he said: 'Oh hell, yeah.'
The village was named Te Āhuru Mōwai o Hiria, meaning the sanctuary of Hiria.
Hiria Wills, of Ngāi Tamawhariua hapū, and her husband Vic were residents of the original elder village in the 1980s.
They did not have children so Ngāi Tamawhariua hapū kaumatua gifted the village the name to keep their memory alive.
Ngāi Tamawhariua hapū chairman Hone Winder-Murray said the three housing blocks were named after the maunga they faced, Kaimai, Mauao and Hikurangi.
Māori principles had been incorporated into the design and the brickwork patterns were inspired by tukutuku panels at Te Rereatukāhia Marae.
Winder-Murray said the village was a 'monumentally beautiful thing on the landscape of Katikati'.
Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer said the village came in under budget but did not disclose the final cost.
He said providing safe, secure and affordable housing was one of the most effective ways to enhance people's lives.
'These new homes are about more than just the buildings themselves. They represent the kind of community we want to be, a community that values its elders, supports their wellbeing, and creates spaces where people can live with dignity and connection.'
Denyer said the opening of the village was a special day for Katikati.
Ian and Jo Dickey, both 76, had been renting in Tauranga but Ian had to work fulltime at his gardening business to be able to afford the rent.
Ian had undergone two hip replacements and would be tired from heavy lifting all day, Jo said.
They also worried their rental would be sold.
Ian and Jo moved into one of the two-bedroom homes, allowing Ian to drop to working one day a week.
Jo was so excited about their new home she would visit the site every fortnight while it was being built.
'I was really wanting something for the rest of our lives and this is a place that feels secure,' she said.
'It's brand new, warm and dry and cosy.'
Currently, 20 of the units are tenanted and the council is working through applicants on its waitlist.
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