From housing uncertainty to home ownership for a Timaru family

A few years earlier, life looked very different, with rising costs and uncertainty around housing making things tough for them and their two young girls. They were renting privately in Timaru. The house was nice, but the high rent kept them living week to week and carrying significant debt.

“Then we got the dreaded 42 day letter,” says Sarah. “The owners needed their house back, and suddenly we had nowhere to go.”

With the housing shortage in Timaru, they applied for every rental they could find. “We didn’t even get shortlisted,” she says. “We were desperate.”

With homelessness imminent and mindful of the impact on her young girls, Sarah contacted the Ministry of Social Development to apply for social housing. In 2018 a Kāinga Ora home in Temuka became available, providing the family with stability.

Ongoing challenges

Although grateful, living in Temuka instead of Timaru meant long daily trips for work, school, and hospital visits, especially as Sarah cared for her younger brother during cancer treatment.

“I was driving 500 kilometres a week,” she says. “We needed to be closer to Timaru, but we finally had stability. That meant everything.”

During an inspection, Sarah shared their challenges with their Housing Support Manager. In 2021, the family was offered a transfer to a newly retrofitted Kāinga Ora home in Timaru.

Turning Point

The new stability and the rent, based on Mike’s modest income, finally gave the family room to breathe. “This security helped us pay off every bill,” says Sarah. “We became completely debt free.”

With a steady foundation, they began dreaming about something that had once felt impossible: owning their own home.

A meeting with a mortgage broker gave them the roadmap they needed. Mike increased his KiwiSaver contributions, and Sarah opened a savings account.

“At the start, my savings account only had $10 a week going into it,” says Sarah. “But it all helped in the end.”

They also learned about the Kāinga Ora First Home Loan, which lets eligible first home buyers purchase a home with only a 5% deposit instead of the usual 20%. Knowing this made home ownership feel possible much sooner than they ever expected.

When they reapplied, the broker told them the numbers looked promising, and in December 2025 they received the call they’d been hoping for. “We got a ‘yes’ from three banks,” says Sarah. “It felt amazing.”

Picking up the keys from the real estate agent felt surreal. “It felt fantastic to open the door,” she says. “Watching our daughters run through the house smiling and laughing… knowing this is our home. It’s a feeling I’ll never forget.”

“Owning a house means the world to us,” says Sarah. “It’s security. No one can ask us to leave. And most importantly, we can leave something for our children.”

Advice to other families

She and Mike are incredibly proud of what they achieved: becoming debt free, buying their first home, and putting in the hard work to make it all happen. They have some advice for families working toward their own housing goals.

“Dreams do come true if you put in the hard yards,” says Sarah.

“Stop spending on things you don’t need. Start a savings account, even $5 or $10 a week helps, and contribute to KiwiSaver. Also look into options like the Kāinga Ora First Home Loan, which can make buying a home possible with just a 5% deposit. And you probably don’t need the flashiest house on the street, just somewhere you’ll be happy to call home. We bought a doer-upper in an affordable area.”