One year down and many to go: Tita and Veni’s first year in their new home

Over a year ago, Tita and Veni’s young family of five began moving into their new house the same day they were handed the keys.

Now the house has become a home, and memories are built into the walls. Tita’s rugby team photo proudly hangs in the lounge and the family has started their own Christmas traditions, in their own home. Two things that she tells us wouldn’t have been possible in their previous rental which didn't feel like ‘theirs’.

Tita and Veni were one of twelve families who have partnered with Habitat for Humanity’s rent-to-buy programme in Stoke, Nelson, and moved in on opening day in June 2023.

Through the Progressive Home Ownership (PHO) programme, families pay an affordable rent which goes toward the deposit on the home they’re living in. Over a 5-10-year period, payments eventually support them to take out a commercial mortgage with the money they’ve contributed through Habitat.

After being the first in their families to relocate to New Zealand from Tonga, the young couple had to build a new life from scratch and settled on Nelson as their base.

“It was a whole new experience for us. We had to learn everything and every family member who comes after us, we’ll be able to help do it as well” says Tita.

When the family moved into their Habitat home, they were happy to leave behind a rental house that was damp and draughty.

“It was very cold during the winter with mould and moisture on the windows. Our kids were getting constantly sick,” Tita told Nelson App in June 2023.

Alongside a much healthier environment, Tita notices how the home’s location is an important difference from their rental. It is walking distance to the local school yet far enough from the main road, keeping it quiet and safe for the kids to play outside. As a safe and secure home contributes to wellbeing in all aspects of life, Habitat carefully considers access to schools, public transport, public parks, and health care when planning housing developments.

Ultimately, Tita’s favourite part of the house isn’t the flooring or faucets, it’s a feeling. It’s about security and stability for her family with the freedom to do what makes them happy in their home; hang pictures, invite family to stay, and relax after a night shift.

“My favourite part of the house is the idea of owning it and finally you get to call a place your actual home. You don’t have to move or wait until one day the owner says they’re selling and you have to move. Here you don’t have to worry about anything like that.

“I'm just happy that my family have been able to come and visit as well. They can stay with us and we don’t have to worry about anything. I don't have any family [in New Zealand], it’s only my husband who has an uncle here. That’s why when we first moved here [from Tonga] it was hard.”

With the first year in their new home complete, Tita and Veni are looking to the future. Veni’s much-loved garden in their courtyard is about to take off; the couple’s Taro plants are just starting to shoot. In the long-term, Tita tells us that her rugby team photo hanging on the wall won’t be alone for long.

“That’s my husband's idea,” she says about the framed picture. “He says ‘that’s 2022, this year’s one I’m going to stick next to it and the year after that will go next to it too.’”

This is one of many traditions that will be started and continued for Tita, Veni, and their children as the years tick by in their new home.