Couple keen to have warmer home

Wattie Meadowcroft has had prostate cancer, four kidney operations and heart surgery.

‘‘You name it, I’ve had it. I’m the bionic man, they call me.’’

The 83-year-old needs a warm home but his Christchurch property is draughty despite having a heat pump installed and plastic sheeting fitted under the floor about nine years ago.

He and wife Bev, 80, have spent 43 of their 60 years married, in their cold Linwood home.

But, as of Tuesday, Wattie will no longer have to rely on his sharp wit and sense of humour to keep going. The Warmer Kiwi Homes programme, which launched on Wednesday, will mean the Meadowcrofts’ is one of the first of 52,000 properties to be insulated over the next four years. The plan will cost the taxpayer $142 million and covers two-thirds of the cost of underfloor and ceiling insulation for owner-occupied homes. It will be available to people with a Community Services card, a health condition or those living in areas with the highest deprivation levels. The Meadowcrofts have Community Service cards and have done all the right things to try to keep their home warm.

In addition to the heat pump and plastic sheeting, their windows are double-glazed but that has not fixed the draught.

On a sunny winter day, the couple sit outside at their home to catch the rays, as it can often be warmer for them.