An Auckland woman is angry she was not told the house Kainga Ora moved her to after last year's storm had been the scene of a shooting.
A month before the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods, there was a shooting in a state house in Māngere - bullets broke a kitchen window and left dents in the window pane.
Kainga Ora offered Kelly Dey the house to rent after flooding forced her out of the house she had been living in.
The housing agency knew about the shooting but Dey did not.
"They got me a house. I got a phone call from them about a week after saying that they had a house for me in Māngere and that it was a four bedroom house and I asked them could I go have a look at it," Dey said.
"So I went and had a look and I was happy because it was a house, you know. I rung Kainga Ora up and I told them 'yes I'll take it'."
Dey had escaped with her four children from a two-storey state house that tilted in the floods and said she had not been told that home was on a flood plain.
She said after spending time in emergency housing she was grateful to have a permanent home in Māngere.
"When I went around and had a look at it, there was a smashed window in the kitchen ... and there was still rubbish and they said it could take a wee while for us to do it up. I says that's fine."
She moved in 24 February last year and met her neighbours the following day.
"They turned around and told me 'did you know that your house was shot up' ... 'I said no, I did not know that'. 'Oh didn't Kainga Ora tell you that', I said 'no, they didn't'.
"They says 'there's bullet holes in your frame of the kitchen window' and that's when I had a look, I was eh?"
Dey said she was grateful for the house but she was concerned for her children's safety.
"I still feel to this day that I'm scared that they might come back," she said.
"I'm still living here, but I'm a little bit scared that they might come back and shoot up the house thinking that the last tenants are in there, you know.
"But I like the house, don't get me wrong. That's the house I like. It's just the fact that they did not tell me that it was shot up due to the last tenants that were living there."
Kelly Dey. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
RNZ understands at least one person suffered minor injuries.
In a statement, Kainga Ora's regional director for Counties Manukau Angela Pearce said the shooting happened two months before Dey moved in and was an isolated incident.
"We did not tell Ms Dey about the shooting as we had no information to suggest there was any ongoing safety risk for occupants of the property."
Pearce said Kainga Ora does not typically disclose information about the history of its state houses.
"Our approach can vary. While we typically don't disclose information about the history of our homes, we may share relevant details when appropriate. For instance, if someone has passed away in the home, we may arrange for a blessing before a new tenant moves in."
She said a kitchen window broken in the shooting had been replaced before Dey moved in.
"We also arranged for contractors to do some electrical and carpentry work at the property. The carpet in two bedrooms was also replaced and the house thoroughly cleaned."
After moving in, Dey reported what appeared to be small pellet-like indentations in the exterior kitchen window frame.
"While they were not affecting the structure of the window frame, we organised for this to be replaced. Under normal circumstances, we would have expected the issues with the window frame to have been picked up and addressed as part of the condition assessment of the home," Pearce said.
"However, it is worth noting our maintenance contractors were operating under heightened pressure at that time to get any vacant houses ready for new tenants as the floods had forced hundreds of our customers out of their homes."
Property lawyer Joanna Pidgeon said although there was no legal obligation for a landlord to disclose a previous crime, it was the type of event tenants like to be aware of.
"Given the recent event and the amount of damage I am surprised that they weren't told. If the property manager had been a licensed real estate agent they would have needed to disclose it."
Pidgeon said forewarned is forearmed.
"It would enable you to be more cautious, such as keeping the curtains in the front rooms closed, how much time you spent in those rooms till a period of time had gone past."
Dey said knowing the home's history was important.
"Really crucial, because I've got babies living with me. I've got I've a 2-year-old, I've got a 3-year old and I've got teenagers. I'm in the kitchen where the house was shot up by the window," she said.
"And it's really critical because if one of us is in there and they do shoot up the house, one of us are going to end up dead."
