‘Rent-free’ camper told to move

A pensioner who has been living rent-free at the Waharoa Aerodrome is waiting for the Matamata-Piako District Council to evict him.

Wayne Brassington said he had a verbal agreement with the aerodrome’s manager that he could stay at the airport in exchange for maintenance work around the site.

But the council said that’s not the case, and want him to move on. The 81-year-old had nowhere to go and the only relatives he had were in England.

The council said it would help him look for a new place to live but Brassington said he wanted to stay at the airport and for the council to honour its agreement.

He said he had lived there in the campground for eight years. He reckons he struck up an agreement to stay on when the campground closed about six months ago.

‘‘The manager said I could stay and do some work around the place to off-set the rent. I got stuck in and covered about nine months of work in six months.

‘‘So I reckon I’m missing out on three months of rent, if they kick me out.’’

Brassington said the campervan he lived in at the aerodrome was not road worthy, so it could not be moved to a new location for him to live in.

‘‘I’ve got nowhere to go. I’ve explained all this to council but it’s a waste of time. I’ve done nothing wrong and I don’t know what the hell’s going on.

‘‘I rang the mayor [Jan Barnes] and she told me I had to go too.’’

Brassington said he expected the council to move him out on Monday.

In a written response to questions, the council said Brassington had been staying at the campground ‘‘off and on’’ for a number of years.

The campground closed in March for everyone except during aviation events.

‘‘Strictly speaking we should have asked him to leave at this point. However, we instead asked him to make other arrangements.

‘‘He asked repeatedly to do work but this was not provided. Unfortunately it is not safe for him to continue to stay on in the condition the caravan is in and we have had to issue an eviction notice. We are endeavouring to help Mr Brassington find alternative accommodation.’’

The council said it was arranging for Brassington to be put on its Elderly Persons Housing waiting list.

‘‘And are working with WINZ to find him emergency accommodation in the meantime.’’

The council said there was ‘‘no deal’’ with Brassington to stay on rent-free.

‘‘He offered to do work, but we did not take up that offer.’’