Long-time Glen Innes resident Judy Putohe just loves her new, warm Tāmaki Housing home on Taniwha Street.
“When I moved in last year, all my children came around. They were overwhelmed by how nice it was and so was I. I can’t believe I have two bathrooms now.”
Judy shares the three-bedroom home with two of her grandchildren. She likes the open plan design of the house, but the most important thing is that it isn’t cold.
“I can leave the windows open and it’s still warm and dry even if it’s raining outside. I’ve noticed that my power bill is cheaper now too.”
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Tāmaki is home to a large regeneration programme, which is expected to take 20-25 years to complete. 2,800 state homes will be replaced with approximately 10,500 state, affordable and private market houses.
Tāmaki Regeneration Company has partnered with Kāinga Ora to deliver these warmer, healthier homes and to create quality, well planned neighbourhoods.
Development work is well underway in Glen Innes, with early construction activities also starting in Pt England and Panmure.
Judy, 63, grew up in Hamilton but has lived most of her life in Glen Innes. She loves the location and wouldn’t live anywhere else.
She has a big whānau with six children, 21 grandchildren and one great grandchild, most of whom live nearby. “Glen Innes is close to all my family. It’s nice and handy to town and it’s easy for me to take the kids to places like Mission Bay.”
Her memories of her previous house on nearby Farringdon Street are a bit mixed. “I liked the old house because it had a big section where the kids could play. I also miss my old neighbours.”
But the big drawback of the old house was how cold it was, Judy says. “It was like an icebox over winter. It wasn’t insulated so mould was a problem. We used to sleep in the lounge because it was the only warm room in the house.
“My kids and I got the flu a lot and had problems with asthma. It also meant we had to go to the doctor’s more often.”
She thinks the plan to replace the old state houses in Tāmaki with new homes is a good thing, but initially she wasn’t so sure.
“When I first heard about it I wasn’t too keen. Then I thought ‘oh well, times are changing, and you need to go with the changes’.
“I love my new house. Yes, the new houses are closer together, but that also means you can know what’s going on and look out for each other a bit more.”
- This content was supplied by Kāinga Ora
