Home for Christmas – Feona’s early gift

The 74-year old first time Kāinga Ora customer has just moved into her one-bedroom, ground floor home in New Lynn and is looking forward to buying a mini tree to put on the coffee table her sister made her. 

“I’m going to have my little tree with battery driven lights, and my bottle of bubbly and a bit of pork – everything just how I like it,” says Feona. 

Having been on the waiting list for public housing and living with family for more than two years Feona is thrilled to be in her brand-new home.

“I still can’t believe it. You will never know how amazing it was to get the call to say I finally had a place. They told me to come up and have a look and let them know what I thought and I said ‘yes please!’” 

The warm, dry and very light home is perfect for her needs, she says, including an easy to-access wet room style bathroom, important since Feona has arthritis and a shoulder injury and relies on a walking frame. 

“You want to go have a look at my bathroom and toilet, they are awesome. I can move around. The place we were in it was so small my shoulders touched the sides of the walls, and I couldn’t bend down to touch my feet because, if I did, I would bang my head on the wall.” 

The rest of the home is similarly well proportioned, Feona says. 

“It is the perfect size. As you can see, I can’t do a lot and I haven’t got an excessive lot to do here.  I can put things here that suit me. I don’t have a long way to go because I can’t walk very far.” 

Feona says the best part of the home is the covered outside area where she sat and joyfully drank a cup of tea on her first morning. A history of skin cancer means she must be very careful to stay in the shade. 

“I can open the doors and go out and see people around me and I can sit out on the deck. There’s a roof. People will think I am stupid, but that means so much because I can’t go outside if there is not a cover over the top. I can feel the wind in my face, the warmth from the sun. I haven’t had that for four years.  

“I will spend a lot of time on the deck - that is so important for me. Until you haven’t got it I don’t think you understand.” 

Having spent most of her life living in private rental homes, the mother and grandmother is enjoying feeling settled and secure. 

“I think I have had more than 20 moves over the years and I don’t want to go anywhere.” 

Feona has already enjoyed meeting two of her neighbours, also new to the 15-home, three level complex, and is looking forward to meeting more. 

She has a handful of boxes to unpack and, as well as the Christmas tree, wants to buy some pot plants for the deck.  

Reflecting on her first night in her new home, Feona smiles. 

“I went to bed and it is the first night I have slept through for I don’t know how long. It’s amazing; I just love it so much.”