Soesa Tovo died in his Papakura state house on August 15 last year.
He died in his lounge after being treated for heart and lung problems and pneumonia in hospital.
He was surrounded by his wife Amelia and their 6 children.
Doctors and the local DHB had requested, on a number of occasions in the year leading up to his death, that this family be moved, because of his health and the cold and damp state of the house.
Their repeated pleas did not trigger Housing NZ to move the family. They were told they had ‘no argument’ according to Amelia.
Because Housing NZ is apparently happy to rent people homes that make them sick. After all, those hospital visits and school absences aren't on their balance sheet. But their failure to act on repeated requests means that this is no longer simply a case of neglect. Instead, it verges on depraved indifference. And the Housing NZ staff responsible need to be held accountable for it.
An obvious question is whether this house - which was apparently partially insulated, but uncarpeted and unheated, would meet National's proposed "standards". And if the answer is "yes", those standards are obviously not high enough.