If National wins ...

[Bjauck]

What housing crisis?

"More New Zealand children are killed by diseases linked to cold, damp, and overcrowded housing than in car crashes or drownings."
Childhood diseases in the land of milk and poverty
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11913334

Have you got Bronchiectasis Iceman?.I hope not

"Byrnes says not just the number but the severity of cases are getting worse. Rates of bronchiectasis, an irreversible, life-threatening lung disease caused by repeated chest infections, have tripled in just 15 years.
"It's a Third World disease, the kind of thing that if you were going to see it, the patients would be in their eighties. Now we are diagnosing it younger and younger," Byrnes said.
"Internationally people are astonished at the numbers we have here. It's completely terrifying."

[BlackPeter]

I do.
Recently travelled to Greece. Saw 3 beggars in 3 weeks.
Went to Auckland the other day - saw 3 beggars in one day.
I thought Greece was supposed to be a basket case?

Begging is a hard nosed business. Beggars only go where they can make a good coin. Have a stroll through Munich, Berlin, Paris, Rome or London and you can find 3 beggars in 10 minutes (if you are slow, this is). The more beggars you see the richer the town you are visiting - and yes, they are often imported ...

[artemis]

What housing crisis?

"More New Zealand children are killed by diseases linked to cold, damp, and overcrowded housing than in car crashes or drownings."
[B]Childhood diseases in the land of milk and poverty

Maybe there should be free doctor visits for children. And Accommodation Supplements. And insulation.

But how to deal with this situation in the article, bearing in mind it is a new house and therefore has insulation. And windows. Though maybe not Janola and cleaning cloths:

Upstairs, mould grows on the windowsills. Despite being a new house, it has no ventilation system.

[fungus pudding]

Begging is a hard nosed business. Beggars only go where they can make a good coin. Have a stroll through Munich, Berlin, Paris, Rome or London and you can find 3 beggars in 10 minutes (if you are slow, this is). The more beggars you see the richer the town you are visiting - and yes, they are often imported ...

I was in San Francisco recently wandering past rows of beggars. All the signs were very similar - out of work, kids to feed, etc. etc. Then I came across one whose sign read 'I cannot tell a lie. - I need beer.' He was a hard case so I gave him a couple of dollars.

[iceman]

Maybe there should be free doctor visits for children. And Accommodation Supplements. And insulation.

But how to deal with this situation in the article, bearing in mind it is a new house and therefore has insulation. And windows. Though maybe not Janola and cleaning cloths:

Upstairs, mould grows on the windowsills. Despite being a new house, it has no ventilation system.

Good post artemis. I don' t know how to deal with a situation like this but its sad to see this as it is unnecessary, but of course it is easiest just to blame the Government

[Bjauck]

Maybe there should be free doctor visits for children. And Accommodation Supplements. And insulation.

But how to deal with this situation in the article, bearing in mind it is a new house and therefore has insulation. And windows. Though maybe not Janola and cleaning cloths:

Upstairs, mould grows on the windowsills. Despite being a new house, it has no ventilation system.

Perhaps they do not have enough money to afford heating (because it all goes on the luxuries like high rent costs and food?) and perhaps they have an overcrowded house because they cannot afford a bigger place in Auckland's crowded housing market!

Here is a clue: "We have a good landlord but we're looking to move. It's pretty cold without the heater, it's freezing." So maybe the mould grows as fast as it can be cleaned away and open windows for ventilation suck out any heat there is...


But where would they move to? An even smaller place so that they can afford heating for other times, other than just when their child is ill with pneumonia?

[iceman]

Perhaps they do not have enough money to afford heating (because it all goes on the luxuries like high rent costs and food?) and perhaps they have an overcrowded house because they cannot afford a bigger place in Auckland's crowded housing market!

Here is a clue: "We have a good landlord but we're looking to move. It's pretty cold without the heater, it's freezing."

But where would they move too? An even smaller place so that they can afford heating for other times other than just when their child is ill with pneumonia?

Another one said the heater was broken so they used the oven. Go figure

[BlackPeter]

Maybe there should be free doctor visits for children. And Accommodation Supplements. And insulation.

But how to deal with this situation in the article, bearing in mind it is a new house and therefore has insulation. And windows. Though maybe not Janola and cleaning cloths:

Upstairs, mould grows on the windowsills. Despite being a new house, it has no ventilation system.

Agreed. One problem is that many New Zealanders don't realise that any occupied house (and particularly new ones which have better closing windows) needs proper heating and regular fresh air (i.e. open the windows, particularly on cold winter mornings). Humans produce lots of moisture and if we don't allow this moisture to escape mould will grow.

What we probably need is schools stopping to teach all this internet nonsense but go back to the basics: How to keep a house warm and dry. How to properly clean (many young people don't know how to properly use a broom or a brush and a cloth) - and while we are at the subject - how to properly cook. We live in an upmarket area - but many of our neighbours only know how to warm up precooked frozen meals form the supermarket - terrible.

The sad thing is - most of our teachers wouldn't know how to properly look after a house, how to properly clean and how to properly cook either. Too many lost generations?

[Bjauck]

Agreed. One problem is that many New Zealanders don't realise that any occupied house (and particularly new ones which have better closing windows) needs proper heating and regular fresh air (i.e. open the windows, particularly on cold winter mornings). Humans produce lots of moisture and if we don't allow this moisture to escape mould will grow....

We don't know the full story with this case. They may open the windows for ventillation but cannot afford heating so the mould still grows. If the house is overcrowded maybe it is a balancing act between windows open sufficiently for ventillation and losing whatever heat they can afford.

They say they get on well with the LL, so maybe the Landlord has already explained ways to keep the house properly ventillated?

[artemis]

If the property is dry and aired then mould will be minimised. So what causes moisture in the air? Pretty much the way occupants live - showers, cooking, drying clothes inside, unflued gas heaters, overcrowding, wipe down condensation (warm moist air inside meets cold from outside). And clean mould as soon as it appears. It's not rocket surgery.

Windows don't have to be open all day to air out a property. An hour a day is a good start.

So maybe we don't know the full story in this particular case but very likely the occupants are a good part of the cause of damp and mould in a new house. And if because of that their children get sick ....