Rotorua Council wants to sell gifted land and make disabled pensioners homeless.

 

 

Cc: Hon Casey Costello, Minister for Seniors; Hon Simon Watts, Minister of Local Government; Rotorua Lakes Council Chief Executive; Rotorua Lakes Council Mayor and Councillors; Emerge Aotearoa; MSD / Office for Seniors; Elder Abuse Response Service; Tenancy Services / MBIE; relevant media

 

Dear Minister Bishop,

 

URGENT REQUEST FOR MINISTERIAL INVESTIGATION: Rotorua Council Pensioner Housing – Elder Welfare, Black Mould, Rent Increases, Land Status, and Homelessness Risk

 

I write requesting urgent Ministerial attention and investigation into the handling of Rotorua Lakes Council pensioner housing at Lucas Place and related Council-managed elderly housing.

 

This is not a private landlord dispute. It concerns elderly pensioner tenants housed by a local authority, managed through Emerge Aotearoa, on land understood by affected parties to have a public, gifted, restricted, or purpose-specific history. The tenants are elderly, vulnerable, and at risk of serious harm if Council and its contracted manager continue to act without clear written process.

 

Core concern

 

Affected tenants say:

 

1. they were previously told or led to understand that Council would not demolish, remove, or materially interfere with their homes;

2. rents have nevertheless been increased;

3. tenants have allegedly lived for years with mould, black mould, dampness, and unresolved substandard housing conditions;

4. Council and/or Emerge were already on notice of tenant vulnerability and distress;

5. tenants are now receiving verbal statements about demolition and relocation;

6. tenants have not been given a clear written Council decision, lawful authority, relocation plan, right-of-return policy, rent policy, or welfare plan;

7. tenants fear homelessness, displacement, unaffordable replacement rent, loss of their gardens, sheds, mobility arrangements, and loss of their final secure homes.

 

This has created severe distress among elderly tenants. Self-harm risk has now been expressly raised.

 

Why Ministerial investigation is required

 

This matter requires investigation because it raises issues beyond an ordinary tenancy dispute:

 

1. whether a local authority has allowed elderly tenants to remain in unsafe or unhealthy housing conditions;

2. whether rent increases were imposed while known mould, dampness, or habitability issues remained unresolved;

3. whether tenants were misled or given inconsistent information about demolition, redevelopment, relocation, or security of tenure;

4. whether Council and Emerge failed to act after being put on notice of foreseeable elder-welfare harm;

5. whether Council has proper authority to treat the land and housing as an ordinary commercial asset;

6. whether any gifted, restricted, airport-related, public-purpose, reserve, trust, or pensioner-housing purpose applies to the land;

7. whether affected tenants are being exposed to homelessness or constructive displacement;

8. whether central government funding, housing policy, senior-welfare obligations, or local-government oversight are implicated.

 

Immediate intervention requested

 

Please urgently require Rotorua Lakes Council and Emerge Aotearoa to provide written answers confirming:

 

1. whether any demolition, redevelopment, or relocation decision has been made;

2. whether any tenant is presently required to move;

3. whether any tenant has been issued a lawful notice under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986;

4. whether tenants will have a right to return to any replacement units;

5. whether replacement units will remain pensioner/senior housing;

6. whether rents will remain affordable for existing pensioner tenants;

7. why rent increases were imposed while mould and habitability concerns were allegedly unresolved;

8. what inspections, reports, and remediation plans exist for mould, black mould, dampness, ventilation, heating, insulation, drainage, and structural condition;

9. what welfare risk assessment was completed before tenants were contacted about demolition or relocation;

10. what written authority Emerge Aotearoa has to communicate demolition, relocation, rent, tenancy-security, or redevelopment matters;

11. what land-status records exist, including title history, gift documents, airport transfer records, reserve/purpose restrictions, trust-purpose documents, and legal advice;

12. whether Council will pause rent increases and any relocation/demolition process until these matters are independently reviewed.

 

Protective request

 

Please also ensure that Council and Emerge are directed to:

 

1. stop making informal verbal statements to elderly tenants about forced relocation, demolition, rent increases, or uncertain housing futures;

2. communicate only in writing through an identified authorised officer;

3. provide affected tenants with welfare support immediately;

4. preserve all records relating to mould, rent increases, redevelopment, land status, tenant communications, complaints, and Council/Emerge instructions;

5. provide tenants with a written statement of their rights and review options;

6. ensure no tenant is penalised for raising complaints, seeking media attention, or applying to the Tenancy Tribunal.

 

Records to be preserved

 

Please ensure preservation of:

 

1. Council reports, agendas, minutes, briefings, emails, and resolutions concerning Lucas Place and Council pensioner housing;

2. the Emerge Aotearoa property services agreement and all instructions given under it;

3. rent-setting records and valuation reports;

4. mould, dampness, maintenance, inspection, and Healthy Homes compliance records;

5. tenant complaints and Council/Emerge responses;

6. all demolition, redevelopment, relocation, and asset-management records;

7. land title, gift, airport-transfer, trust-purpose, reserve, endowment, or public-purpose records;

8. legal advice relied upon by Council;

9. welfare, elder-risk, disability, human-rights, and relocation impact assessments;

10. communications with tenants, including call notes, scripts, and file notes.

 

Requested response

 

Please confirm urgently whether your office will seek an explanation from Rotorua Lakes Council and whether this matter will be referred for investigation or oversight.

 

The affected tenants are elderly. Some have nowhere else to go. Some have lived with unresolved conditions for years. They should not be left in mould, fear, uncertainty, and rent pressure while a public landlord and its agent provide inconsistent or incomplete information.

 

This requires urgent Ministerial attention.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Tracy lynch