Northland MP Matt King says a small percentage of Housing NZ tenants are causing other residents to live in fear with lifestyles that have “aspects of Once Were Warriors”.
Mr King said a small percentage of Housing NZ tenants are causing mayhem, with anti-social behaviour, violence, vandalism, drug dealing and 24-hour parties.
He says the neighbours of these tenants are being terrorised in their own homes.
“For starters, they are too scared to go on camera, your reporters will have noticed no one will go on camera, they’ll go to the police, the police deal with what they can,” he told TVNZ 1's Breakfast show today.
“They’re living in fear, they’re terrorised in their own homes.”
Mr King says there is a huge waiting list in Northland for Housing NZ homes and it should harden its non-eviction policy.
“I believe in a three strikes policy…there are people on the waiting list deserving of these homes,” he said.
“I think the ones showing anti-social behaviour deserve to be evicted and get the good people in.”
Serious complaints have come from Kerikeri and Dargaville with police attending 70 incidents in one Kerikeri property in the last three years, 1 NEWS reported last night.
None of the complainants would appear on camera to tell their stories for fear of retaliation, and for that reason it was decided not to identify the properties or the streets involved.
They’re calling on Housing New Zealand to evict the troublemakers.
However, they did tell 1 NEWS their pets have been poisoned, they're being threatened with violence and regularly sworn at, they're too scared to do the gardening or go for walks, and they can't sleep because there are parties and fighting most nights.
Angela Herbert and her five children live in one of the 2000 Housing New Zealand properties in Northland, and they waited months to get in.
"When you do get one you really want to try and hold on to it as long as you can because it's hard," Ms Herbert said.
The waiting list for social housing in Northland has 328 other families on it.
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