Woman fobbed off after roots grew into sewerage pipes
A plumber had to dig down half a metre into Irene Field’s driveway to rip out roots from her sewerage pipes.
They’d grown across from a plant on the neighbouring Kāinga Ora property but that was 18-months ago and the agency was still fobbing the Hamilton woman off.
That was until a Stuff reporter contacted the state housing agency this week, and the woman got a phone call within 48 hours.
“This neighbour should not have had to go to these lengths to be heard - we should have responded far more quickly,” its Waikato regional director Mark Rawson said.
It kicked off 18-months ago when a gurgling noise started coming from the toilet at Field’s 1920’s three-bedroom home in Forest Lake. Then she found raw sewerage on the small strip alongside the property, and the shared driveway.
A plumber came to take a look and thought he’d fixed it, but it started happening again a few days later.
It turned out the roots of a yucca plant from the neighbouring Kāinga Ora house had grown down under the driveway and through her sewerage pipes.
The plumber dug half a metre under the driveway to rip out all the roots and fix the problem, even pulling out a huge root ball.
Field paid for the plumber’s call-outs and for the plant to be poisoned, but their driveway was rooted.
“We would like at least for them [Kāinga Ora] to fix the driveway.”
Initially, she couldn’t leave the house in her car, because backing out the garage was obstructed by the deep hole.
It has been filled with gravel, but, Field didn’t think she should have to pay for its fix herself.
She said she called and emailed Kāinga Ora about three or four times, before realising she could head into their central Hamilton office.
The property manager was apologetic, she said. Covid-19 had made them busy, but they’d get onto it, Field was told.
A month later, nothing. She went back in and again was told they were sorry but would get a plumber out, the property manager even saying she would come along.
It had now been about 18-months and she was fed up. She’d even tried to contact Labour MP at the time, Gaurav Sharma, but got no response.
Field said she wasn’t fussed about reimbursement for work already done, she just wanted her driveway fixed.
Stuff contacted Kāinga Ora on Monday afternoon, and the agency got in touch with Field the next day.
Kāinga Ora Waikato regional director Mark Rawson said in a statement on
Wednesday “we unreservedly apologise for this situation”.
“This neighbour should not have had to go to these lengths to be heard - we should have responded far more quickly.
“We have been in touch with the neighbour to apologise to her directly.”