Pomare

Pomare Eviction continues – How long now? The never ending story of Farmer Crescent

The media reported this morning that the continuing saga around the case of three Lower Hutt women looks set to continue in their fight to remain in their state houses, despite the Court of Appeal dismissing their case.

The families were issued an eviction notice from their Pomare homes in March last year, but they say they were discriminated against by Housing New Zealand. A ruling by Judge Justice Wild at the time said nothing could change, and the decision to evict remained.

Todays Court of Appeal ruling has upheld the original Tenancy Tribunal , in favour of Housing New Zealand, however, it also pointed out discrimination is a Bill of Rights issue, and therefore not something the tribunal can even consider.

It’s understood the women will now continue to fight their case through the Human Rights Commission.

The never ending story, Im sure their lawyer Liz Hall (at taxpayers expense) is well shall we say, enjoying the journey.

As I have stated before we could have brought the three houses for them by now with the taxpayers money spent, last years video , shows the total then was $250,000 by just Housing NZ.

When will we get a grip on reality, stop proving a point, clogging up the courts, and wasting my money!

Pomare: Life Sentence for Murderer

Malcolm Ngeru, 44, unemployed of Taita, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Mihi Tuhoro on July 20 2008. He admitted killing her but said he did not have the intent to do so because he was so drunk, and was instead guilty of manslaughter.

A jury in the High Court in late October 2009 took more than 10 hours to find him guilty of murder. He remanded in custody to and today his sentence was past.

Hutt Valley man Malcolm Ngeru, 43, was jailed for life with a minimum non-parole period of 12 years when he appeared for sentence at the High Court in Wellington after being found guilty in October of murdering his partner Mihi Tuhoro, 48.

via Stuff

Please read the article in Stuff to gain a perspective on this mans actions which are abhorrent. I mentioned in a previous post about the attitude and outcomes of the disenfranchised that seen to be placed in Taita / Pomare by social agencies.

I for one am over the disrespect certain types in our society have toward others. This is a perfect example. Again I hope life, was the true term of his sentence, but feel again that I it won’t be (12 years non parole) I like many others move stronger toward what the Sensible Sentencing Trust advocates, sentences that stand up to their terms, life means life.

Pomare: Tenants go to Court of Appeal

The story goes on.

The three women fighting their eviction from their Housing New Zealand homes in Lower Hutt’s Farmer Cres are seeking leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal. The outcome from this ongoing saga was they were told to quit their HNZ houses by 4 December if they did not appeal. Guess what they appealed yesterday, on the last day to do so, as stated by the Justice Wild.

I continue to strugle with this whole sorry saga, the cost earlier this year was put at $250,000, we have now had 2 further calls to the High Court, and now on we go to the Court of Appeal.

No doubt they are taking the matter as far as they are legally allowed, but fairs fair, the cost of all this, the state could have built 1 and 1/2 houses by now. By the end, possible have given all three families new homes. But they want to live there. GO FIGURE.

As a side note I see that currently Farmer Crescent is also been looked at for redevelopment, and a possible solution is the removal of the housing present, to be replaced by more modern and appropriate accomodation. Harks back to my discussion on my walk around.

Robyn Winther, Huia Tamaka and Billy Taylor were ordered to quit their homes after threats of intimidation and anti-social behaviour related to their Mongrel Mob partners.

They lost an appeal to the High Court and yesterday filed an application to take the case further.

Pomare: Farmer Cres tenants last opportunity

The never ending story continues with another twist

The three Pomare women fighting eviction from their state homes have been given a final opportunity to overturn earlier court rulings that the evictions are lawful.

They sought leave on Wednesday to appeal against a High Court decision which ruled against them.

Their lawyer Liz Hall said the case raised important questions which deserve further consideration.

Housing New Zealand said the women have already been turned down by three courts and there is no need for a fourth hearing.

Justice Wild declined the women’s application for leave to go to the Court of Appeal but he acknowledged they can still make a special application to that court.

He says if that is not made by 25 November, the women will be required to vacate their homes on 4 December.

Pomare: Farmer Cres the never ending story

Well I had my walk around Farmer Crescent as I said I would, and my opinion is the same as I had before I went, a pocket of forgotten people. But now todays headline shows the continuance of the story around the HNZ eviction which by now in my opinion has reached the point of a legal never ending story, how long can this saga go on (via Stuff)

Gang-linked families in Lower Hutt’s Farmer Cres will get to stay in their homes for a few more days, as another round of legal wrangles begins.

For three months Housing New Zealand has battled to evict three women residents and their 13 children through the Tenancy Tribunal, district court and the High Court – costing the government department tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

The residents’ lawyers were now trying to go to the Court of Appeal, and there was the possibility they could go all the way to the Supreme Court.

Though the women – who have partners in the Mongrel Mob – were ordered to leave their homes by midnight yesterday, the evictions were put on hold for a hearing in the High Court at Wellington on Wednesday.

Farmer Cres resident Patria Tamaka, whose sister Huia Tamaka was one of the women facing eviction, said they were expecting police or the army to turn up any time to remove them. But they had not started packing.

“We’ll keep going and going until we get to the Supreme Court. The girls all know that. [Housing NZ] are not backing down and we don’t want to leave.”

I think most people are well over this story and I was aghast at the cost for this saga put at $250,000 before they went to the High Court, now it will reach epic proportions. It shows again, the tolerance of our legal system or the incompetence. Other NZers are more deserving of this legal aid, after all, when all said and done its about moving house. Go figure!

Pomare: Murder sentence past against resident.

I have been following this story for some time awaiting the outcome of the Trial. Against this is the current situation occurring in Farmer Cres at present and it seems to me the presence of a mentality of those that live there, or by circumstances made to live there.

A man who battered his partner to death then stuffed her body into a wardrobe has been found guilty of murder.

The woman’s family now want an apology from her killer.

Malcolm Ngeru, 44, unemployed of Taita, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Mihi Tuhoro on July 20 last year. He admitted killing her but said he did not have the intent to do so because he was so drunk, and was instead guilty of manslaughter.

A jury in the High Court at Wellington yesterday took more than 10 hours to find him guilty of murder. He has been convicted and remanded in custody to December 11 for sentence.

Ms Tuhoro’s brother, Manuel Tuhoro, who sat through every day of the 2 1/2 week trial, was overwhelmed with emotion.

“A sorry or something would be nice,” he said outside court. “Not even his family is present.”

The jury was told Ngeru and Ms Tuhoro were alcoholics who lived in Lower Hutt’s Farmer Cres in a Housing New Zealand flat.

via Stuff

From my perspective it appears that those that live there are alienated from other social norms, expectations and society in general. I am no bleeding heart liberal in fact I side with quite a bit of what the Sensible Sentencing Trust advocates.

Has the area become such a gang enclave, that without adhering to the gang’s mentality there is no alternative, or is it because they respect that value system more, because it provides individual respect, income and the chance to get ahead.

In the case of all these indivduals both male and female is their self-esteem so low that they see no alternative to the life they lead? or conversely do our social agencies just place them back into the areas that are familiar to them, I think not in this case alternatives were provided, not accepted, as is the case with the current situation of the residents fight against Housing NZ.

I’m not here to present answers, there are many vastly more qualified than me, but when was the last time you looked at the area around Farmer Cres, Pomare?

To be polite I would call it low socio-economic area, in another term perhaps a ghetto of disenfranchised individuals. I hate the housing that was presented as a solution to low-cost accommodation in the 60s when the Hutt needed low skilled labour. I always felt that the solution with State Housing whether state or local should be spread around amongst other areas rather than high-rise towers and feel it was a British import that was not needed given the ample supply of land at the time. Brixton London, and its problems come to mind.

Where am I going with all this, I don’t know the answers (neither does any of the government agencies) but I am going to walk around Farmer Cres this weekend and see how I feel, rather than drive past without thinking about it.

Pomare: High Court Judge throws out tenants from Farmer Cres

High Court Judge John Wild has thrown out an appeal by the three women with gang connections who face eviction from their Pomare homes in Farmer Crescent.

Justice John Wild said he saw no error of law in the decisions of the district court or the tribunal court, and his decision reaffirms those outcomes. He ordered the women to leave the properties by midnight on October 30.

Justice Wild ordered HNZ to pay costs for both sides of the case because “it was a test case that would be of general benefit to HNZ”.

via NZPA

So its all on in Pomare now no doubt. I’m expecting the worst, from protests, to armed Police intervention. The media will love this. As I expected Justice Wild had no option, but unfortunately given the timeframe till the end of October plenty of time for some protest action to take shape. A peaceful outcome I do not see.

Pomare: Tenants win reprieve again from High Court

The situation over the Housing NZ tenants in Pomare has been very long running.

The current state of play is that the Judge preceding over the case in the High Court has reserved his decision against the Mongrel Mob partners (and family) for eviction.

After losing a battle in the Tenancy Tribunal to hold onto their state houses, the women’s appeal was thrown out by the Lower Hutt District Court earlier this year.

As I mentioned earlier their legal aid-funded courtroom crusade continued in the High Court at Wellington yesterday with the Judge John Wild reserving his decision. No doubt this case and its ramifications for dealing with bad tenants by HNZ is down to statutory interpretation, and would be precedent-setting. Judge Wild will need to take a lot of guidance on this and will also factor in the media blood bath that would ensue if the matter was forced eviction by bailiffs.

The women’s 90-day eviction period will expire at midnight today, though Justice John Wild discussed extending the period for the tenants to move their things out with lawyers from both sides yesterday.

I think the situation is addressed fully and well by the two articles by Nicholas Boyack from the Hutt News this week, who conducted in depth interviews with the family concerned and again with Billy Taylor one of the partners of a Mongrol Mob member.

Opinion is pretty widespread across the spectrum on this, from whether these people deserve eviction to them being only victims. Tough one for the Judge, as he has to give the all clear or not, while pandering to all sides of the argument.

What will tomorrows headlines bring?

Pomare: Court Bailiffs to support Farmer Crescent evictions

Well, given the history of this story, and the expose on the cost to the taxpayers of this matter of a quarter of a million dollars for security, time and lawyers there was no doubt that Housing NZ will be approaching the final outcome of this story with the full force of the law and its support network.

Expect a media scrum, and a lot of posturing by those involved as the issue around these Farmers Cres residents is finally brought to a head. This will make a media dream, woman evicted with their families while the cameras roll, oh the drama!

The only alternative is a High court appeal, and I guess you and me the taxpayer (if it occurs) will be paying for that as well, say another quarter of a million. I’ve always wondered how does one get its case to the High court, if one can’t afford it oneself. Anyway let the show begin…

Court bailiffs are to be sent to a Mongrel Mob enclave in Lower Hutt as Housing New Zealand readies itself to evict tenants.

Five families were issued with 90-day tenancy termination notices in March following gang intimidation in Farmer Crescent.

Three unsuccessfully took their case to the Tenancy Tribunal and a District Court appeal has also been rejected.

The tenants have continually refused Housing New Zealand’s help to find alternative, private accommodation.

Chief executive Lesley McTurk says the corporation hopes to meet the families this week but will also be referring the matter to bailiffs to enforce possession orders on the houses.

Ms McTurk says Housing New Zealand is confident of its position and will pursue the matter further if the tenants appeal to the High Court.

via Radio New Zealand

Pomare: Judge reserves decision on families fighting eviction

The hearing has been heard and the judge has reserved his decision for the three Lower Hutt families fighting eviction.

Billy Taylor, Huia Tamaka, Robyn Wynther and their children were issued eviction notices from Housing New Zealand in March following a gang-related incident.

The three women have refused to leave their properties in Farmer Crescent Pomare and appeared in court yesterday appealing a decision from the Tenancy Tribunal ordering them out.

Their lawyer Elizabeth Hall says they have been discriminated against because their partners are Mongrel Mob members.

Housing New Zealand lawyer Steve Haszard refutes that, saying the families are being evicted because of their behaviour, not their gang affiliations.