Disabled Auckland man Kallen Neki’s “exhausting” fight for an accessible home has at last come to an end after more than a year in unsuitable emergency accommodation.
Neki lives with cerebral palsy, a permanent physical condition that affects movement and posture.
He is now set to move into his new place on April 8, once final accessibility modifications have been made.
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” said the 37-year-old, who has been waiting since the January 10, 2025 for a suitable home.
And it hasn’t been an easy wait.
Getting through the front door to his temporary unit on his electric wheelchair has been a daily challenge, especially after rain when his tyres would lose traction.
Just this month, that door had to be repaired after being repeatedly struck throughout his stay. Neki said he’d knocked it off one of its hinges.
Due to the size of his living area, he has often only been able to move around the house on his knees.
‘Severe social situation’
Recently, Neki required assistance from Fire and Emergency and St John after getting his chair jammed under a concrete letterbox. He said a St John paramedic who accompanied him back to his accommodation was shocked at what they saw.
A St John document seen by 1News said his living situation was unsafe and needed “urgent review and improvement”.
It noted he struggled to use the shower safely by himself, could not reach the bench to get himself water or prepare food, and that the toilet had just been unclogged after two weeks of not functioning.
The assessment said it was not safe for him and was strongly recommended that Neki be transported to hospital until a “safer social situation” could be arranged. He initially agreed to this but ended up changing his mind.
‘Heartbreaking’ story highlights wider issues
Maungakiekie-based MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Labour’s disability issues spokesperson, said Neki’s situation was “absolutely unacceptable”.
She met him on March 20 and learned how he was offered multiple homes which would not have met his needs.
“He couldn't use the doorknobs to enter and exit his home if he had taken up those offers, and that's pretty basic – to have a home that is accessible.”
Neki cannot operate a mobile phone and has limited capability using his computer. He needs a stamp to sign documents because of his involuntary movements, which he sometimes loses. To travel anywhere requires booking his part-time carer or an expensive taxi.
“All this takes time out of the day and due to my physical disability, it gets awfully draining for me,” Neki said.
Constant paperwork, meetings, and unsuccessful viewings have also meant he has not had time to see a grief counsellor, after losing his mum early last year, he said.
Radhakrishnan said she was disappointed with how Kāinga Ora handled Neki’s case, pointing to the day-long deadline he was given via email to accept the offer, as well as the fact that he had to physically go into the office to sign the tenancy agreement a few days later.
“I would expect government agencies to do what we did, which is to go to him,” she said.
“It just tells me that those at the front lines of our government agencies that provide services to disabled people must have some training around dealing with disabled people.”
Kāinga Ora says on its website it “has a responsibility to ensure we are getting housing right for all our customers, including those with accessibility needs” and it has signed an accessibility charter.
'Was always going to be challenging’
1News first approached Kāinga Ora about Neki's situation in September of last year.
It's Central and East Auckland regional director John Tubberty said at the time they were committed to finding him a suitable home as soon as possible and that a potential solution had recently become available.
Six months later, he maintained that commitment had not wavered. “However, with Kāinga Ora homes in Auckland operating at around 99% occupancy, finding a property that could accommodate his specific requirements, and in the areas Mr Neki has wanted to live in, was always going to be challenging.”
“We are pleased that a suitable, fully accessible home has now been found for him.”
There were 2223 people on the waitlist for accessible public housing as of last August, according to the Ministry of Social Development. 1News has requested an updated figure.
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