A Northland mother whose 9-year-old suffers from rheumatic fever is worried Kāinga Ora made her family move back into their house while it was still being repaired for smoke damage. Anita Moses fears the move put her son’s health at risk from the smoke, but Kāinga Ora said the family would not have been allowed back into the house unless it was safe. Moses has lived in the Tikipunga Kāinga Ora house with her three sons, aged 9, 13 and 20, for about a year.
Since 2022, her 9-year-old has been suffering from complications of rheumatic fever - a serious autoimmune disease, linked to overcrowding , which disproportionately impacts Māori and Pacific children. Moses said her son suffers chest pains and low immunity and is now on the waiting list to have his tonsils removed..
