‘Incredible’ change as nightmare tenant goes

Kids are back playing in a troubled Motueka street previously described as a ‘‘domestic war zone’’, after a problem tenant moved out.

For the past three years, residents of York St in Motueka had complained of loud parties into the early hours, abusive language towards children at the address, and verbal abuse of passersby from a Housing New Zealand tenant in the neighbourhood.

Matters came to a head at the end of September, when the street was the scene of a hit-and-run incident which put two people in hospital.

A York St resident, who did not want to be named, said the change in the neighbourhood after the tenant moved out had been ‘‘incredible’’.

‘‘It’s amazing – the street is back to exactly what it was. The kids have come back out again, parents are letting their kids ride their bikes and scooters on the street.

‘‘All of that had gone, because of this situation created by this one neighbour.’’

The resident said that previously, it felt like living in a ‘‘domestic war zone’’, and had been getting worse and worse.

A Housing New Zealand spokesperson said the tenant handed in her notice and vacated the property on October 15, and was not currently a HNZ tenant.

HNZ did not respond to questions regarding why the tenant had left the property.

‘‘The street is back to exactly what it was. The kids have come back out again.’’

York St, Motueka resident

The resident said neighbours had been informed following a street meeting with HNZ representatives, and were told that the tenant had left because she felt unsafe after the hit-and-run incident.

HNZ told residents it would have moved her anyway, and admitted she should have been moved sooner.

The resident said that while there were many HNZ tenants in the neighbourhood, there had never been a problem on that scale before.

‘‘We’re surrounded by them and everyone’s fine, they’re great neighbours.’’

Neighbours had formally complained in March 2017, with 20 signing a petition and reporting the behaviour to police, HNZ and other social agencies.

With the house yet to be rented out to new tenants, there was even the possibility of bringing back a street party to the neighbourhood, with the support of HNZ, the resident said.

‘‘They used to have them in the old days around Christmas and New Year’s Eve. It’s been done before, as a way of getting neighbours to know each other.

‘‘We were thinking it would be good to have one when the new tenants move in.’’