Bulldozer levels beneficiary’s home

Bulldozers have demolished an Auckland social home that for the past year became a symbol of Auckland’s housing crisis.

Auckland beneficiary Niki Rauti had lived in the Glen Innes weatherboard former state house for 30 years.

But she was forced to move out on October 27 after losing a lengthy legal battle to overturn an eviction notice.

Rauti was issued an eviction notice in October last year by the Tamaki Regeneration Company (TRC) - a company jointly owned by the Government and Auckland Council.

Her Taniwha St home was one of 2800 state homes TRC planned to demolish and replace with 7500 new homes in Glen Innes over the next 15 years.

TVNZ captured the moment Rauti’s house was demolished by bulldozers on Tuesday.

Rauti said her health was deteriorating and she had to look ahead after the negotiations with TRC.

‘‘I said my goodbyes on Friday,’’ Rauti said.

Rauti said she was settling into her new Ta¯ maki Housing home and it was ‘‘very nice’’.

TRC had previously offered Rauti newly built homes to move into but she said in January they were not good enough.

The Glen Innes resident first took legal action against TRC in October 2016 in an attempt to stay in her home.

Rauti’s house was one of six properties to be demolished together and replaced with 12 new, four bedroom houses.

The new houses are expected to be completed by April 2018.

The first eviction notice was disputed by Rauti in October 2016 and she then took her case to the Auckland District Court in May in an attempt to appeal possession order of her home, granted by the Tenancy Tribunal in February.

In June, the Auckland District Court upheld the Tenancy Tribunal’s judgement, giving TRC the legal right to evict Rauti.

As Rauti awaited her eviction in June, more than 20 supporters from the Ta¯ maki Housing Group gathered outside her home and it was in ‘‘lock-down’’.

In September, Rauti took the company to the High Court but her appeal was dismissed by a High Court judge.

TRC’S housing general manager Neil Porteous previously told Stuff he was pleased TRC had come to an agreement with Rauti and pleased she’d moved into a TRC house nearby.