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Free Ceiling And Floor Insulation Offer Extended
Media Release
Date: 14 November 2012
Free Ceiling And Floor Insulation Offer Extended
Aroha Peta used to dread winter knowing the impact
living in an uninsulated house in Hamilton would have on her
children’s health.
Two months ago that all changed when she contacted Waikato District Health Board’s Māori health unit Te Puna Oranga for more information about a free ceiling and underfloor insulation project it promoted.
The project is part of Te Puna Oranga’s Project 270, which focuses on addressing child/whanau poverty. Cold, damp homes are major contributors to poor health including respiratory diseases and rheumatic fever.
“Our house has been miraculously transformed. It is remarkable what insulation has done for us. Our children want to sleep in their own beds and we don’t have to wrap ourselves up with blankets anymore to keep warm,” said Aroha.
The free ceiling and underfloor insulation project has
been extended to include Tokoroa, Te Aroha, Te Kauwhata,
Raglan and Otorohanga as well as Hamilton City, Huntly,
Ngaruawahia. Approximately 150 further houses can be
insulated free.
Ditre Tamatea, General Manager of
Māori Health at Waikato DHB said poverty had a huge impact
on the health and wellbeing of whānau and in particular
children.
“Poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand means that
many of our families and our tamariki live in cold, damp
homes, often go hungry, have poor health and often have to
contend with not only material poverty but poverty of
opportunity.
“More than 600 homes in the Waikato DHB
region will this year have free ceiling and floor insulation
installed making it more affordable to heat the house and
make the occupants warmer and healthier,” he said.
The project is called 270 because within Aotearoa New
Zealand an alarming 270,000 children live below the poverty
line, many more live just above it.
“Poverty is a
major driver for poor health outcomes and the burden of
whānau and child poverty falls disproportionately on Māori
and Pacific Island communities.
“Most at risk are
vulnerable babies and young children, who have no control
over their circumstances.”
The benefits of the free
home insulation project are already been felt by those who
have had their homes insulated including Aroha.
Aroha and
her children have lived in their rental accommodation for 13
years struggling to keep their house warm and dry especially
when one of their children suffer from asthma and was
continually having to go to the doctors.
“We use
to dread the approach of winter with the kids getting sick
and continuously having to go to the doctors because of the
cold damp house we lived in.
“The condensation was
terrible and I was always wiping condensation and mould away
from the windows, doors, and ceilings etc.
One of my children suffers from asthma and he has certainly benefited from this project.
“I just want to thank Te Puna Oranga and the contractors that had the idea to look at families that are struggling to keep their homes and children warm. The free ceiling and floor insulation project here in the Waikato has been awesome. Thank you so much,” she said.
Te Puna Oranga manages the
privately-funded scheme in partnership with the Energy
Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and two
insulation companies and will ensure that 600 high needs
families have their homes insulated for free.
The scheme
is an extension to the successful Warm Up New Zealand: Heat
Smart programme, which insulated the homes of more than
85,000 families, about half of which were on low
incomes.
In order to meet the criteria for assessment
each applicant must meet the following criteria:
• The home must have been built before 2000 and be
within 80kms of Hamilton city namely, Te Aroha, Putaruru,
Tokoroa, Otorohanga and Te Kauwhata
• The primary
property resident or owner must have a community services
card
• There must be children under 16 years old
living, or frequently staying, in the home
• The house
is not a Housing New Zealand one.
For more information
and application form go to
www.waikatodhb.health.nz/tepunaoranga.
1. ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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