Wellington social housing sale: Living there 'changed my life' councillor says
A Wellington city councillor is opposing the sale of social housing units in Strathmore, citing his own positive experience living there as a refugee. He argues that the housing provided him with the stability needed to pursue education and a political career.
Why it matters
The debate highlights the tension between government asset management and the role of public housing in social mobility.
A Wellington councillor says living in a block of social houses at the centre of a controversial sale changed the course of his life.
Labour's Paekawakawa/Southern Ward councillor Nureddin Abdurahman said Kāinga Ora's decision to sell the sites on 6,8,4 Nuku Street in Strathmore was personal for him, after he and his family lived in one of the units between 2010 and 2019.
Having arrived in New Zealand from Ethiopia in 2008 to join his wife who had a refugee background, Abdurahman said he was driving taxis at night and studying during the day at Victoria University when he lived in the Strathmore flats.
He said he couldn't afford to rent on the private market at the time, and it gave him the chance to "navigate through and get to my potential".
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