Kia ora
I hope everyone enjoyed this month’s Te Rā Aro ki a Matariki celebrations and some of the festivities that were organised in local communities to celebrate the start of the Māori new year.
The real winter has now arrived, and I’d like to make sure that everyone knows what to do if locked out of their unit in the cold weather. Please read our advice in this edition so you’re familiar with the correct procedure. I also wish to ensure that all our tenants are aware of what to do in a natural disaster emergency, and I’ve included this important information as an attachment to this month’s newsletter.
It’s the beginning of a new financial year for the Haumaru team and we’ve been working alongside your Community Managers to plan the larger-scale repairs and scheduled maintenance for the next 12 months. It’s going to be a busy time with a lot of work due to take place in the summer months. Part of our planning includes a survey of all our villages, looking at the exterior of the buildings and the grounds. Each village will receive an update on when their village will be surveyed. In terms of repairs to the inside of your unit, please remember that it’s your responsibility to call the Helpdesk to book these in. Also remember that health and safety is everyone’s responsibility, so please make it a priority to call us if you notice anything unsafe in your village.
We’ve some welcomes and farewells to announce. I’d like to formally welcome Jason Rogers who’s recently joined the Haumaru Housing Board (you can read more about Jason in our article overleaf). A fond farewell to our Community Manager Maria Fruean who’ll be leaving us shortly to move to Australia. We’re recruiting for Maria’s successor now, but would like to wish her all the best for her new life in Oz.
Ngā mihi maioha
Gillian Schweizer,
Chief Executive Officer
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Spotlight on Birkdale Court
Birkdale Court is one of 20 Haumaru villages situated on the North Shore and is home to 21 amazing tenants with wonderful personalities and fascinating life stories to tell. Each tenant is very much enjoying making the most of their retirement, with busy days full of activity and catch-ups with family and friends. Having friends and close neighbours in the village is important to our tenants, too, and makes for a happy, vibrant and diverse village community. Let’s meet a few of our Birkdale Court villagers…
Anna’s heading off to a tennis competition, while Lorraine’s hosting chair yoga and coffee at hers. Kevin’s taking some of the ladies out for lunch, as Anatoly leaves fresh herbs for his neighbours before going to play squash. Margaret’s taking care of her beautiful roses and garden, and Cynthia’s happy to stop fora chat and a few laughs. Donguck’s busy learning English as he wants to read the whole Bible, while Tatiana’s sitting on her bench taking in the sunshine and greeting everyone as they come and go.
We’ve many interesting and lively characters in Birkdale Court – here’s hoping you’ll be able to come visit some time!
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Whitehaven Court BBQ helps chase the winter blues away
A mid-winter BBQ on 28 June at Papatoetoe’s Whitehaven Court brought tenants together to enjoy good food, great conversation and the pleasure of each other’s company. The brainchild of several tenants and Community Manager Tony, the event was held in the village community house – the perfect meeting place for village get-togethers and social activities when the weather’s gloomy. Having the event on the doorstep encouraged a good turn-out, with everyone bringing a plate to share and Tony frying up the sausages. The BBQ was a great success, with new contacts and friendships made – so much so that tenants are now planning their Christmas BBQ!
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Matariki minors
Tenants of Glen Eden’s Wilson Village were treated to an enchanting performance by the under 5’s from the nearby Pīwaka Early Learning Centre on 28 June. The children came dressed in beautiful, colourful outfits celebrating Matariki. Accompanied by their teachers, they sang songs relating to Matariki and also performed a Haka. It was a delightful experience enjoyed by all.
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Promoting healthy homes at Māngere - Ōtāhuhu's Senior Services mini-expo
Haumaru Housing took part in the Senior Services mini-expo which was held at the Ōtāhuhu Leisure Centre on 30 June. The expo showcased a wide range of services focused on older people’s health and wellbeing and was sponsored by Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board as an initiative aligned with its Age Friendly Plan. Haumaru tenants also took part in the event through their involvement in organisations such as the Heart Foundation, Diabetes Auckland, Vaka Tautua and Auckland Libraries. A wide range of information was shared on topics relevant to seniors, with interpreters providing the details in Tongan, Niuean, Cook Islands Māori, Samoan andTuvaluan. Community Managers Maria, Trudi, Tony and Talei were also on hand to assist seniors with their questions on healthy homes and their applications to Haumaru Housing.
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Welcome to our new Board member
The Haumaru Housing Board has a new Board member – Jason Rogers of Ngāti Te Roro o Te Rangi and Ngāti Rangiwewehi. A qualified Chartered Accountant, Jason’s worked for leading firms both in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas. As a professional director/trustee, he also has a wealth of governance and lead advisory experience. He’ll be visiting some villages and introducing himself as he learns more about us. On behalf of all our staff and tenants, we’d like to extend a very warm welcome to Jason as he joins our Haumaru whānau.
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What to do if you're locked out
If you find yourself unexpectedly locked out of your unit – anytime of the day or night – the first thing you should do is call the Haumaru Helpdesk on 0800 430 101. Even if it’s late in the evening, our after-hours service provider will send First Security to unlock your unit for you. Although you’ll be invoiced for this call-out, that’s much better than not being able to enjoy the comforts of your own home on a chilly night! As a preventative measure, we recommend that tenants purchase a lock-box for outside their unit and order a spare key to put in the lock-box. That way, you’ll always have access to a key if the worst happens and you get locked out. Do speak to your Community Manager if you’d like more advice on this.
