Tēnā koutou katoa
Suddenly winter is here, and I hope everyone is warmly wrapped up. We’ve just celebrated Matariki, and I trust you had the chance to spend some time with whānau and friends over the long weekend. As you know, Matariki marks the beginning of the Māori New Year, a time for remembrance, celebrating the present and looking to the future. The theme for the 2025 new year celebrations was inclusion, embracing diversity and celebrating the season together. I particularly like this whakataukī that embodies the spirit of Matariki: ‘Ko te whakatipuranga o Matariki, he whakapūmau i te rangimārie me te whakakotahi / The purpose of Matariki is to establish peace and unity’ – food for thought in this increasingly tumultuous world.
I’d like to thank the tenant advisory group for their participation in our meeting on 27 May; volunteering your time and offering your considered thoughts and suggestions are very much appreciated. I also wish to thank all our tenants for completing Haumaru’s annual tenant satisfaction survey, which has given us valuable feedback on our performance across key aspects of our service provision. I’m delighted to report that, from the responses received, tenants’ overall satisfaction is at a very pleasing 97%. Once we’ve analysed all the feedback, we’ll update you on the areas that we will be focused on improving.
It's a very busy time at the moment, as we prepare to open in July a new village in Greenslade Crescent, Northcote, as well as working to support applicants to move into our subsidised rentals. As mentioned previously, we’re now able to offer selected units across our South Auckland, North Shore and West Auckland villages at 50% of market rent, following a new subsidised funding solution recently agreed by the Haumaru Board in response to last year’s Government funding cap. Do tell your friends about this subsidised offer which recognises the challenges of increasing rental costs and dwindling savings. If they are over 65 and are able to live independently, they might appreciate the opportunity to be part of a supportive Haumaru community. Application is by calling the Helpdesk on 0800 430 101, and further information is available at https://haumaruhousing.co.nz/apply-now.
On 10 July, I’ll be representing Haumaru in THE BIG SLEEPOUT 2025 in aid of Lifewise, an Auckland-based registered charity that provides services and support for people who are experiencing homelessness, www.bigsleepout.org.nz. Everyone has a right to a warm, dry, secure home. The stories we hear from seniors of their difficulties in affording rent and their challenges in finding accommodation therefore make this initiative important to Haumaru Housing.
Stay warm and well over winter.
Ngā mihi nui
Gillian Schweizer,
Chief Executive Officer
Alma Court: A resilient community in the heart of Milford
Alma Court offers more than just housing; it provides a sense of belonging. Residents enjoy well-maintained units, communal gardens and easy access to local amenities, including shops, medical centres and public transport. The village’s design encourages social interaction, with a beautiful garden the place for Alma residents to get together for village meetings or Christmas parties.
In January 2023, Alma Court faced an unprecedented challenge when severe flooding impacted the area, with six units having to be evacuated. Haumaru Housing responded promptly, initiating repairs to restore the affected homes. The community’s resilience shone through as neighbours supported one another during this trying time.
Another positive feature of the village is tenants’ proactive community engagement. Since February 2024, tenants have been able to attend informative sessions every second month at Milford Senior Citizen Centre, with different guest speakers advising on a wide range of topics of relevance to seniors, such as crime prevention, healthcare and other support services that are available from community providers.
Whether it's through everyday neighbourly connections, shared learning opportunities or coming together in times of adversity, the spirit of Alma Court is one of care, connection and resilience – a truly special place to call home.
Christmas festivities at Alma Court
Special birthday greetings
Congratulations to Mr Kim of Massey’s Jack Smyth Court, who recently turned 103.
He’s pictured with his special birthday acknowledgement which he was very excited to receive from King Charles and Queen Camilla. Many happy returns, Mr Kim!
Out and about
Popular minivan trips in May included Ardmore’s general aviation airport and flight training facility and cafe. Tenants from Mangere’s Bridge Court, Court Town and Lambie Court enjoyed their day out on 16 May.
Devonport tenants from Cambria Court, Fraser Court and Kings Court enjoyed the views on their 30 May trip.
The tenant advisory group is pictured with Chief Executive Gillian during their meeting at Haumaru’s offices on 27 May.
In Memoriam
It is with deep sadness that we share with you news of the death of Roland Phillips, Haumaru’s Community Services Operations Manager, who has passed away from a chronic illness. Roland joined Haumaru in August 2018 as a member of our senior management team. A dedicated and supportive colleague, he worked alongside our service teams and with the Community Managers to ensure that we provided a high standard of service to our village communities at all times. Many tenants will have met Roland at the various village meetings, Christmas parties and other events over the years. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, and we give thanks for his faithful service, his positivity and cheerfulness, and his significant contribution to the work of Haumaru Housing. Moe mai rā / Rest in Peace, Roland.
Roland is pictured (left) perfecting his BBQ skills with colleagues Linda McKenzie (Placement Manager) and Sean Mahon (Head of Facilities).
2025 Tenant Satisfaction Survey
The results are in, and we’re delighted that, for the sixth year running, tenants have returned an overall satisfaction rating of more than 90% for Haumaru’s range of services – 97% to be exact! We achieved exceptionally high scores across all the main areas of our service delivery, a testament to the dedication of our staff and contractors and our focus on high standards and being responsive. Particularly positive ratings were achieved for:
- Service provided by Haumaru Housing staff overall (95%)
- Help and support provided by staff for new tenants settling in (95%)
- Quality of communication received (95%)
- How staff deal with building maintenance issues (94%)
- Support received from staff and personal contact with staff (both 94%)
- Service provided by our contractors overall (96%)
- Ease of contacting someone who could help you (95%)
- Quality of maintenance work done (94%)
- Grounds maintenance overall (93%)
- Contractor’s manner (96%)
- Perceptions of safety and security in the home and in the village (both 93%)
- Satisfaction with current level of connection and involvement (94%)
These are wonderful results and they encourage us to continue to strive for excellence across everything we do. We’ll now analyse the results in greater detail and will look for ways we can improve our services to you, our valued tenants, yet further.