Tēnā koutou katoa
It’s been an action-packed month and winter hasn’t slowed down any of our wide-ranging projects that are underway. As you'll read in this edition, we renovated two more community houses, which were officially opened for tenants to use for social events and activities.
We also received the results of our recent tenant satisfaction survey, which indicate that overall satisfaction is very high at 97%. It was particularly pleasing to see the positive feedback regarding improvements in the gardens’ and lawns’ maintenance, as this has been a focus for us following tenants’ feedback in the 2023 survey.
I’d like to thank everyone for all their valuable input into the survey, as well as our Haumaru staff for their ongoing commitment and dedication to doing a great job for our tenants all year round.
The Minister for Seniors Hon Casey Costello paid us a second visit this month, as a follow-up to her meeting with us in May. This time, she visited Henderson’s Wilsher Village where she received another warm welcome from tenants.
I do hope you all enjoyed the King’s Birthday public holiday earlier in June and used the day to have a break from your usual schedules.
Let’s make the most of the winter sunshine and unseasonably mild weather – long may they last!
Until next time.
Ngā mihi
Gillian Schweizer,
Chief Executive Officer
Two new community houses have been officially opened in recent weeks, at Pahurehure Village (Papakura) and Piringa Court (Northcote), providing tenants with a warm and welcoming space for social gatherings. At Pahurehure, the newly renovated area has been converted from an unused garage and is now fully equipped with kitchenette facilities and a heat pump. At Piringa Court, the former laundry has also had a complete transformation and now has a kitchenette and an outdoor patio.
At the opening events, tenants and staff enjoyed meeting up, having a look round the lovely new amenities and chatting over morning tea.
A group of twelve tenants from Kaumātua Court (Te Atatū) and Wilsher Village (Henderson) recently enjoyed a fun-filled morning playing ten-pin bowling followed by lunch, courtesy of funding received from Auckland Council.
Thanks to the council’s generous contribution – which is aimed at promoting greater community connection amongst seniors – tenants from our various villages will have an opportunity to go bowling every week over the next three months and to get to know each another over a sit-down lunch at the bowling centre afterwards.
At this first outing, while there were lots of ‘gutter balls’, there were also lots of laughs, with everyone having a great time. Our thanks to Auckland Council for the wonderful opportunity.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our 2024 satisfaction survey which was conducted over April and May – the results are in and show that a massive 97% of the tenants who took part are satisfied overall with the services provided. This is up from 94% in 2023, so we’re particularly pleased that all our ongoing efforts to provide a responsive, quality service are making a real difference in enhancing tenants’ experience of living in a Haumaru village. A total of 60% of our 1,629 tenants shared their views on how satisfied they are with key aspects of our service, returning particularly positive ratings for:
o Management of the housing facilities generally (92% satisfied, up from last year’s 89%)
o Service provided by Haumaru Housing staff overall (95% satisfied, up from 92%)
o The way staff help tenants connect with neighbours (90% satisfied, up from 86%)
o How staff deal with building maintenance issues (93%, up from 90%)
o Service provided by our contractors overall (96%, up from 94%)
o Quality of maintenance work done (95%, up from 92%)
o Speed of response to maintenance issues (90%, up from 84%)
o Grounds maintenance overall (91%, up from 84%)
o Frequency of lawnmowing (90%, up from 80%)
o Tidiness of paths after mowing (91%, up from 84%)
o Perceptions of safety and security in the home (93%, up from 92%)
o Level of connection and involvement (93%, up from 91%).
Thank you also for sharing your views and opinions on how we might improve things even further. We’re now reflecting on all the feedback and opportunities for improvement, so that – together with our contractors and all those we work with – we can make things even better for everyone who’s at home in a Haumaru village.
A surprise memento from yesteryear was uncovered at Belmont Court during recent renovations of one of the units.
An invitation from the Mayor and Councillors of the ‘City of Takapuna’ to the official opening of the village on 25 January 1969 – which had been sent to the original tenant –was discovered within the wall of the unit! A lovely reminder of the village’s history that’s been preserved for posterity.
Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was held on 15 June, putting the spotlight on elder abuse and older people’s rights to live free from exploitation and abuse.
The Office for Seniors advises that elder abuse can take many forms and ranges from someone ‘being taken advantage of’ through to things we all recognise as crimes. It may be psychological or financial abuse and can also happen when a person’s care is neglected, whether intentional or unintentional.
If you suspect that an older person you know is being abused, or if you just want advice, the Office for Seniors and Age Concern have a wide range of elder abuse awareness resources, as well as information on preventing and getting help for suspected cases of elder abuse.
The Office for Seniors’ Elder Abuse Response Service (EARS) is a free, confidential 24-hour helpline: call 0800 32 668 65, Text: 5032, email: support@elderabuse.nz.
Age Concern’s Elder Abuse Services are available across the country and, in Auckland, they also offer a service dedicated to providing Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese-speaking communities with culturally and linguistically appropriate support. Visit www.ageconcern.org.nz for further information.
If you’re concerned about an immediate threat to life or property, call the emergency services on 111.