People reportedly steal bills to get $200 payment for stench-hit community

Monday, 30 May 2022

About 3300 households are living with the putrid pong from the city’s fire-ravaged wastewater plant.

About 3300 Bromley households living with a stench from Christchurch’s fire-damaged wastewater plant are eligible for a $200 payment.
Those wanting the money have to wait a few days because Prezzy card stocks are low.
There have been reports of people stealing bills from letterboxes to illegitimately claim the money. Residents must now provide ID to get the money.

People are reportedly stealing bills from east Christchurch letterboxes to illegitimately obtain $200 payments meant for a community struggling to live with a pungent stench.

About 3300 households in Bromley, Christchurch, are now eligible for a one-off $200 payment from the Christchurch City Council.

The payment is to help them deal with the extra costs of living with the pungent stench from the city’s fire-ravaged wastewater plant in Bromley.

The cause of a water treatment plant fire in Bromley, Christchurch, is still under investigation, says operations manager Adam Twose. (First published February 2022)

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PHOTO: JOHN KIRK-ANDERSONWork being carried out at fire-damaged treatment plant at Bromley.

Applications for the payment opened on Monday and $23,800 was dished out, according to the council.

But supplies of Prezzy cards are already running so low that people are now being asked to wait until the end of the week before applying.

The Christchurch City Council said it had also heard reports of people stealing bills from letterboxes to “illegitimately” access the $200 payment.

Last week, the council said to get the $200, people would have to provide only proof of their address at one of the four nominated community organisations that were handing out the cash.

The council has now changed the process so people must also provide photo ID. It said it was “disappointing” to hear the reports of stolen bills.

Households living inside the red boundary will be eligible for the $200 payment from the Christchurch City Council.

Meanwhile, stocks of Prezzy cards – the preferred method for providing the $200 – were already running low due to high demand.

Jane Davis, the council’s general manager of infrastructure, planning and regulatory services, said the Bromley Community Centre, one of four organisations handing out the support, would have “a limited supply” of Prezzy cards on Tuesday.

More cards were being sent down from Auckland and should arrive by the end of the week.

Davis said payments for the Prezzy cards were made on Friday morning, but the council was unaware of the delivery time.

The council did not expect there would be so much demand for the Prezzy cards over having bills paid directly, she said.

Are you living with the pong in East Christchurch? Email steven.walton@stuff.co.nz

Those wanting a Prezzy card should wait until the end of the week before contacting one of the four community organisations, she said.

If people would rather the $200 go towards directly paying a power bill, the council said this could still be processed at one of the four community organisations.

The four organisations are the Bromley Community Centre, The Loft in Eastgate Mall, the Ngā Hau E Whā marae on Pages Rd, and He Waka Tapu, also on Pages Rd.

He Waka Tapu chief operating officer Tanith Peterson said requests had been coming in since bright and early, but they had no Prezzy cards to give away on Monday.

“The council was trying to … give people a solution, and it's just moved a bit faster than everyone's thought,” she said.

He Waka Tapu was now waiting for a bulk order of the cards.

Peterson said people could still request a Prezzy card and collect it once more stock arrived.

He Waka Tapu could also process direct power bill payments or firewood requests if that was how people would prefer to get the $200, she said.

Peterson called on people to be nice to staff at the community organisations, pointing out they were just a distributor and did not make the rules.

In a post on Facebook, the Bromley Community Centre said there had been an “unprecedented rush” on Prezzy cards and its supply had been exhausted.

Residents have previously criticised the $200 package, with one describing it as “hush money”.

It is available at this stage only to people living in the area bordered by Buckleys Rd, Pages Rd, State Highway 74 and Linwood Ave. It is one payment per household. Others outside this may be considered in exceptional circumstances.