Tēnā koutou katoa,
In the spirit of diversity and celebrating key events across our multicultural village communities, may I wish you Happy Chinese New Year and welcome the Year of the Horse. I hope you have been able to enjoy some of the Lunar New Year celebrations that have been taking place, and that 2026 brings you good health and happiness.
The horse symbolises vitality, speed and success, and a horse year is seen as a year of movement, pursuit and breakthrough. This is also what we are aiming for at Haumaru Housing, with construction of our new Godley Road village in Green Bay gaining momentum and other strategic planning underway for additional development initiatives in the future.
As you know, at Haumaru, we take pride in the fact that we provide quality, responsive services across our village communities. Our team and those we work with always strive to do their best for all our tenants (their hard work is consistently recognised in our excellent tenant satisfaction survey results each year). However, on those occasions when the service delivered is not as expected and you would like to make a complaint or comment, please can I ask that you follow our specific processes. These are outlined in your copy of our ‘Living in your Haumaru Home’ brochure and on the 'Contact Us' page on our website www.haumaruhousing.co.nz (under ‘Experiencing Difficulties’).
Our confidential complaints process is designed to resolve any problems as quickly as possible. Please be aware that we have zero tolerance for aggressive or abusive behaviour towards neighbours, Haumaru staff and contractors. We ask that tenants always exercise courtesy and respect in their interactions with others, whether in person or on the phone. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Until next time. May the fine weather continue with the approach of autumn.
Ngā mihi nui
David Kennedy
Interim Chief Executive
To celebrate Chinese New Year, the team at CNSST Foundation (formerly Chinese New Settlers Services Trust) put on a fantastic ‘hands-on’ activity at Greenslade Court, teaching Greenslade and Piringa Court tenants the ancient Chinese arts of paper cutting and dumpling making. It was an amazing experience, with lots of background history provided about each of these traditional crafts. Everyone also learned how to use chopsticks, essential for enjoying the many dumplings that were on offer afterwards! Our thanks to Gloria and her CNSST colleagues for such a fun and entertaining event.
Tenants from the North Shore’s Birkdale Court, Shepherds Park and Lancaster Court enjoyed a minivan trip to the new IKEA furniture and home goods store on 10 February. Of course, no trip to IKEA is complete without a visit to the restaurant and a chance to sample the famous Swedish meatballs!
Lancaster Court tenant John McGowan celebrated his 78th birthday recently with a lively Newcastle-themed party in the village community house. Born in Newcastle (UK) and proudly of Irish heritage, John entertained his neighbours, family and friends on his guitar as everyone sang along to favourite Irish tunes.
John is Lancaster Court’s dedicated volunteer fire/building warden, a role he has previous relevant experience in. During his career as an industrial chemist in the Waikato, he was on call to assist the fire service with checking chemical spills, working closely with emergency crews to keep people safe. Today, he brings that same sense of responsibility to his volunteer role, continuing a longstanding commitment to supporting fire safety. Belated birthday greetings, John, and thank you for sharing your experience and your time so generously with our village community.
Minerva Court tenants enjoyed an engaging community safety session on 13 February, courtesy of their local Howick Police. The briefing provided practical advice on how tenants can look after themselves, numbers they can call if they notice suspicious behaviour, and their rights when taking care of themselves. It was an informative and empowering afternoon, with plenty of discussion and shared learning. A heartfelt thank you to Howick Police for making the time to visit and for their commitment to keeping our community safe and supported.
Bentley Court was previously known as Bentleycourt Flats and still displays the plaque that commemorated the official opening. The village was opened in 1976 by the then Minister of Health and East Coast Bays MP, the Honourable Frank Gill, who later became Ambassador to the United States. A special link to the past that tenants can still appreciate today!