Kāinga Ora tenants not made to pay for meth damage, cost climbs to $6.13m

Friday, 13 June 2025

Kāinga Ora is spending millions of dollars repairing methamphetamine damage at its properties, but its tenants aren’t paying a cent.

The social housing agency paid $6.13 million to decontaminate and repair meth-damaged homes between January 2020 and April 2025, according to figures released under the Official Information Act.

Kāinga Ora - which had around 75,000 properties - had seen an increase in needing to test and decontaminate homes since 2020, however costs had dipped since 2022 due to new methods of resolving contamination.

But the tenants who caused the damage were not made to pay for it, due to Kāinga Ora taking a “health-based approach” to managing meth at its properties.

Additionally, social housing tenants were not made to pay a bond to be used to pay for any damage at the end of their tenancy, which was common practice for private landlords, nor were they taken to the Tenancy Tribunal, where their drug use would be searchable for future prospective landlords.

When meth is smoked inside, vapours from the illegal drug can leave residue on the property’s walls, floors and furnishings. The manufacturing process, which involved carcinogenic materials, heavy metals and toxic chemicals, can also cause damage.

Homes with more than 15 micrograms per 100cm2 of meth contamination are deemed unsafe to live in.

Under the Residential Tenancies Act, it is illegal for tenants to use their rentals for unlawful purposes. Tenants who do so, including by smoking or manufacturing meth at the property, can be ordered by the Tenancy Tribunal to pay a fine of up to $1000.

The tribunal can also order the tenants reimburse their landlord for the cost of repairing the meth contamination damage - usually the landlord’s insurance excess.

But Kāinga Ora did not seek to recover meth damage costs through the Tenancy Tribunal, instead referring tenants to police.

Waikato Property Investors Association president Tiffany Whyte has dealt with five meth-contaminated houses during her 30 years in property management.

Despite going through the Tenancy Tribunal, the courts and debt collectors, she said she had only ever received partial payment from one tenant.

Whyte said Tenancy Tribunal rulings were vital for landlords wanting to avoid renting their properties to people who have previously caused meth damage.

By not taking these tenants to the tribunal, Kāinga Ora took away the opportunity for their names to appear in the public record, Whyte said.

“It doesn’t give clarity to the next person who takes them on as a tenant,” she said.

“These tenants are let go, can go rent any other house, and do the same thing to someone else. We’re trying to help the most vulnerable but we’re not making them take accountability.”

Kāinga Ora general manager of national services Nick Maling said it took the issue of meth contamination in its homes seriously.

“We are a social housing provider. From time to time, we are asked to house customers with alcohol and addiction issues.

“We also realise that methamphetamine use is, primarily, a health and addiction issue and that it can impact all members of a household, including children.”

Tenants who used meth were referred to support services to help them address additions and harmful drug use.

“Where we come across evidence of meth manufacturing, we treat this as a criminal issue and refer to the police.”

Stuff asked Kāinga Ora about its responsibility to assist other landlords with their due diligence by taking tenants who caused meth damage to the Tenancy Tribunal.

“Where we make decisions to rehouse customers in situations of addiction, we are keeping the issues in public housing, and out of private housing,” Maling said.

A police spokesperson said it would “certainly” pursue tenants if there was sufficient evidence that they were making or selling meth, including meth testing results, suspicious vehicles witnessed by neighbours, weird smells and people exchanging parcels for money outside.

“We would still need enough corroborating evidence to consider filing charges – like we do for any potential criminal activity,” they said.

This story has been updated to reflect that the total amount Kāinga Ora spent on meth decontamination between January 2020 and April 2025 was $6.13m, not $20.6m as originally reported. (Amended June 13 at 5pm)