By Sarah Stewart
In the Gafoi family's south Auckland garage you're transported to the Pacific, despite the weather outside being anything but tropical.
However, this wasn't always the case.
When it was brand new they soon discovered it was a poorly clad ice box.
Every night the family was forced to layer themselves with multiple blankets, and every fortnight they were off to the doctor with the family to get rid of some sort of flu or virus.
Upon moving into the house, there were only two children. Now there are seven of them, all squeezed into three bedrooms.
We’ve all heard it: A warm, dry home is a healthy home.
The Government is spending a million dollars insulating 46,000 damp homes. They think it’ll save the health service a whopping $850 a year for each home.
They’re targeting people on low incomes with illnesses linked to cold, damp homes.
You’ll need a community services card, but people can make the mistake of thinking that’s just for beneficiaries. Low income people are eligible too.
If you’re a landlord, it is free to insulated eligible tenant’s homes in some areas. In others, you’ll pay up to 40 percent of the cost. The average cost of home insulation is $3100 all up, so 40 percent isn’t much.
To find out if you’re eligible for free home insulation, check the warm up NZ website.
Watch the video for the full Story report.
