Latest news with #SustainingTenanciesFramework
NZ Herald
7 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Kāinga Ora tenants accused of firing gun, threatening assault keep homes despite eviction bids
The tenant allegedly asked the boy: 'Do you want to die? Are you not scared of dying? I'll come and kill you right now.' However, the tribunal adjudicator decided there was not enough proof the man made the threats, despite it being confirmed he was facing criminal charges after police found a firearm at his property. The unsuccessful evictions appear to be speed bumps in Kāinga Ora's new policy of getting tough on state housing tenants. In January, Housing Minister Chris Bishop declared the 'easy ride' for disruptive Kāinga Ora tenants to be over. In March last year, the Government told the public housing provider to abandon its 'Sustaining Tenancies Framework'. That programme first started in 2017 as a pilot in which Kāinga Ora staff were urged to try their best to avoid evicting tenants and instead work with them to overcome their issues. Part of the policy's belief was that evicted tenants could be left with nowhere else to go, potentially leading them to cause more trouble on the streets or cost taxpayers more through poor health and medical expenses. The new Coalition Government argued, however, that disruptive and threatening tenants were causing neighbours to live in fear. They believed the threat of eviction would also 'spark behaviour change', forcing these tenants to behave better. That tougher stance led to a five-fold increase in evictions. A Kāinga Ora spokeswoman said about 85% of all its eviction applications to the Tenancy Tribunal were successful. 'Of the 88 applications we made in the past 12 months, 77 were successful,' she said. However, the Hamilton and Nelson cases showed tribunals weren't rubber-stamping every application. The spokeswoman said the tribunal needed a 'high standard of evidence'. 'While we always aim to meet that threshold, sometimes the evidence we are able to present isn't quite strong enough,' she said. In the Hamilton case, tribunal adjudicator Jenny Robson questioned how reliable the neighbour's evidence was. Robson noted that Kāinga Ora had presented evidence saying the neighbour - who was the grandmother of the teenage boy the tenant was accused of pointing the rifle at – originally gave a statement to police, saying she went outside to confront the tenant. She told police the tenant then threatened to also kill her and shot off more rounds from his rifle. But when Robson asked the grandmother what happened during the confrontation, she replied that the tenant ignored her. 'Her oral evidence was contrary to the statement she had given to the police,' Robson concluded. The woman's grandson also didn't appear at the tribunal, meaning Robson was left to doubt the evidence presented. The tenant himself refused to comment at the tribunal, saying he had pending criminal proceedings. In the Nelson case, the tenant's clean record over four and a half years helped save her tenancy despite her admitting she threatened her neighbour. The drama began when her boyfriend assaulted the neighbour's son on January 9. The boyfriend was bailed with conditions to stay away following the attack, but allegedly returned to the woman's flat within two weeks. When her neighbour called police to report the bail breach, the tenant overheard 'inflammatory language' about her boyfriend and confronted the woman, the tribunal said. The tenant wasn't evicted because his neighbour was found to have given contradicting statements about what he did to police and to the Tenancy Tribunal. Photo / 123rf 'The tenant does not dispute she threatened to assault the neighbour. The video evidence of such a threat was conclusive,' tribunal adjudicator Michael Brennan found. However, he noted that only one of seven neighbours had complained about the woman and she had not had run-ins before this incident. He ultimately decided there were enough mitigating factors to let her off. 'I have given the tenant the benefit of the doubt this time, but she should be clear on how any future repeat behaviours … may not result in the tenancy continuing,' he said. Ben Leahy is an Auckland-based senior journalist. He has worked as a journalist for more than a decade in India, Australia and New Zealand.
1News
01-06-2025
- General
- 1News
Sixty-three Kāinga Ora tenancies terminated amid crackdown on bad behaviour
Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka has lauded a Government directive to crack down on abusive Kāinga Ora tenants as a success, citing improved tenant behaviour. Potaka said in a release that in Kāinga Ora's Sustaining Tenancies Framework, which was ended in March last year, had effectively allowed tenants to stay in a Kāinga Ora home regardless of abusive or disruptive activity. "Living in a taxpayer-funded social house is a privilege. The vast majority of social housing tenants are respectful of their home and courteous to their neighbours, but unfortunately they are let down by a small minority who threaten and abuse their neighbours or wilfully damage their home," Potaka said. In the past 10 months, 63 Kāinga Ora tenancies had been terminated as a result of abusive, threatening, or persistently disruptive behaviour, Potaka said. There had also been a 600% increase in formal warnings when compared to the previous financial year, with 1463 issued in 2024/25 so far. ADVERTISEMENT "Around 80% of warnings – known as section 55a notices – have been first notices and 18% were second notices. Third notices, which can trigger the end of a tenancy, made up just 2% of warnings," he said. "I'm also pleased to see that the time taken to address complaints to Kāinga Ora about tenant behaviour has reduced significantly. In January 2024 it took an average of 60 days to take action in response to a complaint. In April 2025 it had reduced to less than 12 days." This data showed that tenants were taking the warnings seriously, Potaka said. "The Government is taking an approach that ultimately benefits everyone involved, by reducing negative behaviour through formal warnings and following through with real consequences in the rare circumstances that behaviour doesn't improve."
Scoop
01-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Focus On Unruly Tenants Brushes Up Behaviour
Press Release – New Zealand Government The Government is taking an approach that ultimately benefits everyone involved, by reducing negative behaviour through formal warnings and following through with real consequences in the rare circumstances that behaviour doesnt improve. Associate Minister of Housing A Government directive to take firmer action against abusive Kāinga Ora tenants has led to consequences for threatening and abusive behaviour, and improved tenant behaviour as a result, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. In March 2024, Ministers instructed Kāinga Ora to end its Sustaining Tenancies Framework, which had allowed tenants to stay living in a Kāinga Ora home no matter how abusive or disruptive their behaviour. 'Living in a taxpayer-funded social house is a privilege. The vast majority of social housing tenants are respectful of their home and courteous to their neighbours, but unfortunately they are let down by a small minority who threaten and abuse their neighbours or wilfully damage their home. Our Government campaigned on focussing in on these unruly tenants, and new data shows our approach is leading to improved behaviour,' Mr Potaka says. 'Over the past 10 months, 63 tenancies have been terminated for abusive, threatening, or persistent disruptive behaviour. This compares to 11 tenancies being ended for disruptive behaviour in the previous financial year, and only two in the financial year before that under the previous Government. 'Formal warnings for tenants whose behaviour is putting their tenancy at risk have increased by more than 600 per cent compared to the previous financial year, with 1,463 being issued in 2024/25 so far. 'Around 80 per cent of warnings – known as section 55a notices – have been first notices and 18 per cent were second notices. Third notices, which can trigger the end of a tenancy, made up just two per cent of warnings. 'I'm also pleased to see that the time taken to address complaints to Kāinga Ora about tenant behaviour has reduced significantly. In January 2024 it took an average of 60 days to take action in response to a complaint. In April 2025 it had reduced to less than 12 days. 'This data shows that the vast majority of disruptive tenants are taking the notices seriously and changing their behaviour to prevent receiving a second or third notice. And where they don't change their behaviour, we're no longer putting up with it. 'There are whānau who have been living in angst from their neighbours abusing the privilege of a taxpayer funded home, so we've taken swift action to get on top of it. 'The Government is taking an approach that ultimately benefits everyone involved, by reducing negative behaviour through formal warnings and following through with real consequences in the rare circumstances that behaviour doesn't improve. 'I thank Kāinga Ora staff for their work to improve tenant behaviour, particularly noting that in doing so they have to navigate some very challenging situations. We look forward to further improvements in this space.'
NZ Herald
01-06-2025
- NZ Herald
Kāinga Ora sees 600% rise in warnings under new tenant crackdown
By Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says a Government directive to crack down on abusive Kāinga Ora tenants has been a success, citing improved tenant behaviour. Potaka said Kāinga Ora's Sustaining Tenancies Framework, which was ended in March last year, had effectively allowed tenants to
Scoop
01-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Focus On Unruly Tenants Brushes Up Behaviour
Associate Minister of Housing A Government directive to take firmer action against abusive Kāinga Ora tenants has led to consequences for threatening and abusive behaviour, and improved tenant behaviour as a result, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. In March 2024, Ministers instructed Kāinga Ora to end its Sustaining Tenancies Framework, which had allowed tenants to stay living in a Kāinga Ora home no matter how abusive or disruptive their behaviour. 'Living in a taxpayer-funded social house is a privilege. The vast majority of social housing tenants are respectful of their home and courteous to their neighbours, but unfortunately they are let down by a small minority who threaten and abuse their neighbours or wilfully damage their home. Our Government campaigned on focussing in on these unruly tenants, and new data shows our approach is leading to improved behaviour,' Mr Potaka says. 'Over the past 10 months, 63 tenancies have been terminated for abusive, threatening, or persistent disruptive behaviour. This compares to 11 tenancies being ended for disruptive behaviour in the previous financial year, and only two in the financial year before that under the previous Government. 'Formal warnings for tenants whose behaviour is putting their tenancy at risk have increased by more than 600 per cent compared to the previous financial year, with 1,463 being issued in 2024/25 so far. 'Around 80 per cent of warnings – known as section 55a notices – have been first notices and 18 per cent were second notices. Third notices, which can trigger the end of a tenancy, made up just two per cent of warnings. 'I'm also pleased to see that the time taken to address complaints to Kāinga Ora about tenant behaviour has reduced significantly. In January 2024 it took an average of 60 days to take action in response to a complaint. In April 2025 it had reduced to less than 12 days. 'This data shows that the vast majority of disruptive tenants are taking the notices seriously and changing their behaviour to prevent receiving a second or third notice. And where they don't change their behaviour, we're no longer putting up with it. 'There are whānau who have been living in angst from their neighbours abusing the privilege of a taxpayer funded home, so we've taken swift action to get on top of it. 'The Government is taking an approach that ultimately benefits everyone involved, by reducing negative behaviour through formal warnings and following through with real consequences in the rare circumstances that behaviour doesn't improve. 'I thank Kāinga Ora staff for their work to improve tenant behaviour, particularly noting that in doing so they have to navigate some very challenging situations. We look forward to further improvements in this space.'
