Lisa and Wirihana's Story

We are Lisa & Wirihana, proud parents of Ngāwaka & Raukura, & proud owners of a crazy dog – Tokena. Prior to our Housing Foundation journey we had been renting in south Auckland, in Manurewa where we both grew up.

Our families all live locally, and we were preparing for Ngāwaka’s arrival. We were on the hunt for a bigger rental property for our growing whanau, but the Auckland rental price range was a huge put off and properties were less than suitable. Many of our friends were in the same situation, and we had accepted that renting was going to be our future living situation if we were going to stay in Auckland. That’s when we heard about the Housing Foundation. Wirihana’s parents told us about the Housing Foundation scheme and told us to check out the website and apply. We immediately got online and decided to check it out for ourselves. At first it looked far too good to be true, and we were certain that we would never be considered, but we applied anyway and thought nothing more of it. We were shocked, and excited, to even get a reply from the Housing Foundation, but more so excited that we had been given an opportunity for something great.

After receiving our initial letter, we set about making some serious financial commitments and changes, to make our dream a reality. The Housing Foundation helped us to make this happen. We met with budgeting agencies, and a mortgage broker who helped to put our financial situation in perspective. We felt very supported and valued every step of the way. At the time of our application we were living in a cold, damp, 2 bedroom flat. We used to drive up to the development site and watch as things began to take shape, hoping that one day soon one of the homes would be ours. Little did we know that the very home we watched being built was going to be ours.

We couldn’t be happier and more grateful to have been a part of the Housing Foundation journey. We are so house proud, and we now have a safe, warm, beautiful home to raise our family in

Looking back on our journey now we are so glad that we took the initial first step and clicked the “apply here” button. We thought it was too good to be true, and were sceptical about it being another housing scam, but it has worked out for the better. Working with the Housing Foundation has made us more responsible with our money. We are happy to say that the money we put away for rent each week is going towards a home we will eventually own.

We have since referred many of our friends, many of whom have already been accepted and have moved into the development. We’re always happy to advocate for the Housing Foundation, and we’re always supportive of our friends when they come to us with questions.

Overall, our journey thus far has been a great one, and we’re looking forward to the many years ahead that we will have in partnership with the Housing Foundation.

Lisa Myers & Wirihana Takuira | Waimahia Inlet Residents

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