Kia ora,
I recently had the pleasure of attending the one year anniversary of our Wilson Road village in Glen Eden, where tenants have created their own new community and formed many new friendships. At this village and our other two multi-level villages (Gallaher Court in Manurewa and Wilsher in Henderson), tenants are being invited to contribute their thoughts about what it’s like living in a ‘high-rise’ building, for a forthcoming presentation by Haumaru Housing at a housing sector conference. Whilst the information is still being collated, tenants are indicating that they feel safe, connected and are not impacted by needing to use a lift (which they previously thought might have been an issue). The full learnings will be available on our website later in the year.
A reminder that we’re going paper-free from this month and will be emailing our flyers and newsletters instead of providing a paper version, with hard copies displayed on your village noticeboard. I'd also like to remind you about our new tenant advisory groups that are being set up. Thank you to those who have already expressed an interest in getting involved. We’ll have several meetings per year so that many people can participate, so please do indicate your interest by calling the Helpdesk.
Spring has arrived and we’ve started our six monthly checks to make sure that all units are structurally safe and provide healthy environments for our tenants. These will be running until November and we’ll advise you in plenty of time of the date for your unit. If you’re unable to be present on the day, your Community Manager accompanied by a colleague will proceed with the inspection in your absence.
Some of our team are off to pastures new! We’ve recently farewelled our Housing Coordinator, Jennifer, who may have helped many of you with your housing applications. Jen is returning to her homeland, Italy, after more than four years in the role. And our Office Administrator and Executive Assistant, Jo Lant, is off to work in the corporate world. We wish both Jen and Jo all the best in their new ventures.
Enjoy the start of spring and the longer, warmer days.
Ka kite
Gillian Schweizer, Chief Executive Officer
spacer
Spotlight on Karaka Village East
Welcome to Karaka Village East! A community of eight units in a lovely sunny spot in a quiet street in New Lynn. Although only eight tenants live here, there’s a mix of five different nationalities – friendly neighbours who are always keen on a chat, whether reminiscing, sharing amazing knowledge or their thoughts on upcoming events.
A special mention for tenant Noel who’s never too busy to lend a helping hand to his grateful neighbours. Noel’s often seen working in his garden, growing veges, or enjoying a coffee break in the sunshine. Always smiling and happy to assist, he looks out for his fellow villagers, helping with odd jobs, bringing the shopping in, doing some gardening and generally keeping the village looking tidy. Everyone agrees that he’s an asset to the village and an all-round top bloke! Thank you, Noel, for everything you do and for being a great neighbour.
spacer
Back home again!
Pukekohe’s Parkway Village held a community BBQ on 26 August to celebrate tenants moving back into their homes following the Auckland Anniversary Weekend flooding, and also to thank everyone in the area who helped in the big clean-up afterwards. The event was attended by local neighbours and Pukekohe residents, Haumaru contractors and by children from the nearby primary school – all of whom had joined the Haumaru community team in the tidy-up. The tenants are now enjoying being back home again and are delighted with their newly refurbished units!
Spacer
Tea and tips with money mates
Tenants of Topping Court and Bridge Court welcomed staff from Māngere Budgeting Services Trust, who discussed some useful financial wellbeing tips during presentations in each village community hall on 6 September. The Trust provides free advice, support, education and mentoring services to people of all ages, with the aim of helping clients manage their money, set goals and achieve long-term sustainable change. Our thanks to Faith and Nicola who explained the services they provide and also supplied a yummy morning tea. Māngere Budgeting Services Trust can be contacted on 0508 22 22 83 for free and confidential help and support.
spacer
Read all about it!
A mobile ‘pop-up’ library service at Beach Haven’s Lancaster Court is proving to be a big hit with tenants. In a new initiative, the Auckland Libraries service is delivering a wide range of books and DVDs in various languages to tenants each month. The service takes requests and has provided books in Filipino and in Mandarin, and is proving so popular that tenants are signing up to become regular members of the library. Joining Auckland Libraries is free for all residents of Tāmaki Makaurau and you can register online at www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz.
spacer
Wilson Village celebrates first anniversary
Our newest village community, Glen Eden’s Wilson Village, celebrated its first anniversary recently with a scrumptious morning tea for tenants. Completed in August and fully tenanted by the end of September 2022, the six-level apartment building offers 41 one-bedroom homes that were specifically designed to meet the needs of older people. Happy birthday Wilson Village!
spacer
2023 General Election
The General Election is fast approaching. Voting starts on 2 October and ends at 7.00pm on Election Day which is Saturday 14 October 2023. You have to be enrolled beforehand to be able to vote, which you can do by completing an enrolment form. For more on this and about how, when and where you can vote, visit the Electoral Commission website at vote.nz.
