A Christchurch social housing tenant has been arrested after a meth lab was discovered in their near-new Kāinga Ora property.
Chrislynchmedia.com reported police uncovered the methamphetamine lab at the Kāinga Ora property in North New Brighton on Saturday, February 22.
The newly built property on Bower Ave was completed in March last year.
Police told chrislynchmedia.com the man was taken into custody when they executed a pre-planned search warrant at the house.
A Kāinga Ora spokesperson told chrislynchmedia.com it takes "a hard line on meth manufacture or supply" in its homes.
"Like other landlords, Kāinga Ora is faced with the issue of methamphetamine (meth) contamination in our homes from time to time," the spokesperson told chrislynchmedia.com.
"While we acknowledge meth use is primarily a health and addiction issue, we take a hard line on meth manufacture or supply in our homes, and we will refer any evidence of this to police.
"If a Kāinga Ora tenant is found to be responsible for manufacturing meth in their home, we will use tools available to us under the Residential Tenancies Act, which could include a notice to end the tenancy.
"In that situation, the person would need to apply through the Ministry of Social Development to determine their eligibility for social housing," the spokesperson told chrislynchmedia.com.
If meth testing confirms a home is contaminated, the spokesperson said Kāinga Ora would carry out a thorough decontamination process that costs about $10,000 on average.
"Kāinga Ora uses accredited contractors to complete meth testing and decontamination to ensure a property is safe and healthy for a new tenant. More information can be found on our website," the spokesperson told chrislynchmedia.com.
