Meth drives family out of town

The removal van, which brought the hopes and dreams of the Pond family to Tauranga just eight weeks ago, will be reloaded, turned around and driven south again.

'Deep down we're disappointed,” says Craig Pond of his family's Tauranga experience. 'It would have been nice had it turned out happy families.”


Craig and Lauren Pond with children one-year-old Grace, Haven, 5 (in front), Kayla 7 and Liberty, 3. Photo: Chris Callinan

The Ponds moved to Tauranga to join a church. But their plans for a new life in the Bay of Plenty were undone by a methamphetamine-contaminated house, exorbitant rentals and general disillusionment. 'It seems it just wasn't meant to be.”

Craig, his wife Lauren and their four kids featured on SunLive last week. On advice from a policeman they had their $500-a-week rental home in Bellevue tested for P. Two tests came back positive.

The landlords denied knowing about the contamination.

Craig and Lauren found an alternative rental. But despite the reassurances of the property manager the family was warned off by the current tenants, who had been continuously sick – they suspect through methamphetamine contamination.

'Then we found another house we could have had in a week. But $600-a-week rent? Most of our money would have been going on the rent. That's just not sustainable.”

So last weekend Craig and Lauren sat down and weighed their options. They decided to go home – to the Tasman area, the Upper Moutere/Richmond district around Nelson.

'We couldn't find a reason not to go home,” says Craig.

They'll get a four-bedroomed rental there for $350 per week.

'The other pros for going home are a very low crime rate and a great environment to raise a family.” The self-employed electrician still has all his business contacts down there. 'So we will be able to plug straight back into the life we had.”

It was their brush with methamphetamine that really swung it for them.

'We knew P was an issue everywhere in the country, perhaps worse up north. But we never connected the problem with people's homes.”

Craig says normally when you're thinking of moving towns you take into consideration job opportunities, money, schools; lifestyle. 'P contamination shouldn't be one of those considerations. It's too weird.”

The Pond family loves Tauranga. 'A beautiful place.” But after a weekend of some deep reflective thinking they have decided going home is a wiser decision for their family.

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9 comments

Sad

Posted on 12-08-2016 10:58 | By overit

I am sorry our beautiful Bay did not work out for you.


P

Posted on 12-08-2016 12:58 | By socantor

is a very real problem in the BOP. Wonder who all those users are? The gangs must have a very successful sales pitch! In the meantime, we all pay for the downstream effects of the problem.


My View

Posted on 12-08-2016 14:25 | By My View

Its sad you have to leave this beautiful place but I fully understand. Going back to the South Island isnt so bad in fact that area you are going to is one place I would live if I wasnt in Tauranga. Good luck for the future


P tests

Posted on 12-08-2016 15:45 | By Kenworthlogger

After watching Border Patrol and watching the swabs of peoples belongings come up positive constantly for drugs but most of the time they are not found shows that the tests may not really mean anything. Does the P swab tests come back with a measure of how much P is found or is it just a Positive or Negative result which really is not helpful. A positive result might show 10 parts per million which is like testing your house with a geiger counter and being alarmed it finds background radiation....


BOP

Posted on 12-08-2016 20:24 | By Tgaboy

Meth use in the area is high.


RENT...

Posted on 13-08-2016 09:20 | By Number eight

P was only one problem they faced,the other was the over priced rentals,more and more people just can't afford to live in this so called beautiful city of Tauranga


Action needed

Posted on 13-08-2016 09:44 | By Jill B

Its all very well the news reporting another huge multi million find of Meth.This may be good in slightly stopping its distribution, but the real problem here is whet it is doing to innocent peoples lives, I should know as I clean these contaminated buildings. Seeing innocent landlords, and yes genuine caring landlords that rent out their properties to help the ever increasing need for rentals be devastated as they watch their properties being ripped apart at huge expense. Seeing the 1st time buyer who has finally managed to afford their 1st home but having to scrape together more money for a meth test only to discover its contaminated, but they are the lucky ones, the ones that only find out when they are constantly sick but have already moved in are the unlucky ones their insurance does not cover the clean up unless specified.


Landlords and property managers

Posted on 15-08-2016 00:56 | By Captain Hottie

It's time some of these useless property managers got called to account. Tenants have to pay a week's rent and landlords a monthly percentage of the rent, hence passing it onto the tenant. So they clip the ticket twice and appear do sweet fanny adams to earn it. Time to haul their useless butts into court. Or better still, make THEM live in the houses they are meant to be managing.


Capt. Hottie

Posted on 17-08-2016 18:45 | By overit

you are so right there. Why isn't someone from their Company trained in basic testing with random tests.


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