Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora
After five moves in the last two years, Cynthia, her 82-year-old mum Terongo, and Terongo’s 10-year-old great-granddaughter Devannah-Paige finally have a home in which they can settle.
It has been horrid, says the resilient Cynthia, fighting back tears. “I have had the responsibility of constantly trying to find somewhere for us stay and I have hated it; it has just been so hard.
“When Vicky (Kāinga Ora placement advisor) told me she had a home for us to look at, I didn’t want to get too excited. That news was just too good to be true.”
“Now we have moved in, I am so relieved. The thought of having a long-term home that we won’t get moved on from, is huge. It has been a long road getting here.”
Cynthia’s whanau whakapapa to Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast.
“Mum moved back to Tokomaru Bay after living in Auckland for 46 years. We were in an older state home and had to move out when it was getting upgraded. We decided to move back to our roots. We moved into one of the kaumatua flats in Tokomaru Bay and lived there for 2 years.
Terongo is the matriarch of a large family – she has 96 direct descendants.
Unfortunately, we moved on from the flats after family celebrated mum’s 80th birthday. With nowhere else to go, in 2022 we moved onto family land that was also in Tokomaru Bay. The land had been surveyed to have a house placed on the site for us all to live in. That was where we were when the wettest summer in living memory landed in Tairāwhiti.”
The rains started in November and just didn’t stop, recalls Cynthia. “Then Cyclone Hale hit us hard followed by Cyclone Gabrielle.”
“We were living in a kaūta (lean-to) at the time. The home-made kitchen and living area were made from corrugated iron. It had no power, no running water and no floor; definitely off the grid! I hired a cabin where Devannah-Paige, our extended family and I were sleeping. Mum slept on a couch in the kaūta.
“After the cyclones, we were completely cut off. The Mangahauini River bridge that takes you into Gisborne was gone. Supplies were delivered via a chilli bin hooked on a pulley that was hauled over the river. Our land is in a gully down river. With the huge number of trees and debris washed down, our land was devastated and is still at risk.”
“That’s when the Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) stepped in. The TAS service is activated to house people after Civil Defence emergencies. They moved us into a motel in Gisborne. Then we were lucky enough to get a temporary house before we were moved into a cabin at a local motor camp. That’s where we were when we got the call from Vicky.”
Terongo is also relieved. “This house is so big compared to what we have been living in. I am looking forward to having my family visit without any problems. This is very important to me.”
“I have trouble getting around now. It is great to use my hospital bed again. I have been sleeping on a lazyboy chair for some time. The house has been built with wider doorways, a larger shower so I can fit my shower chair in and a separate toilet – which is a real treat,” adds Terongo.
As her home is starting to come together, Cynthia reflects that she can stop wondering if they will be homeless again. “Thank goodness we got a house just before I broke. I really couldn’t have taken much more.”
Mangahauini River bridge
Page updated: 14 August 2024