Housing New Zealand will not be taking any further action over an elderly pensioner's garden after they threatened to dismantle a bamboo structure in an Auckland garden due to the use of banned garden stakes.
Xya Han has been toiling away at her garden plot for the last decade, but Housing New Zealand told the pensioner the garden stakes used to support her backyard crops are banned under tenancy rules.
The tenancy manager demanded their removal and in a statement, Housing New Zealand told 1 NEWS the "super structure" had been deemed unsafe and inappropriate.
None of the bamboo supports are connected the house, and all the stakes are taken down after the harvest.
However, Housing New Zealand has now backed down, stating they will be not be demanding the structure to be taken down and have apologised to the family.
"We will not be taking any further action," a Housing New Zealand spokesperson said to Mrs Han's son-in-law Simon Mann.
"We apologise for any stress this incident has caused.
"We support our tenants growing vegetables and are currently working with a large community in Parnell to develop communal gardens as we recognise the many benefits and the sense of community this brings within our larger sites."
This move was supported by Housing Minister Phil Twyford today.
"I think it was a bit of overkill. This has been a really useful reminder to Housing New Zealand that the relationship with tenants needs to be flexible, common-sense – we want state house tenants to be growing vegetables in their garden," he said.
Mrs Han's daughter-in-law says the pensioner finds joy in simply working in her backyard.
"She's got sore legs and a sore back. She can't work outside too far so she's happy to stay at home and look after her garden," she says.
The garden was started by Mrs Han's late husband.
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