Decades of hoarding neighbors turn one man’s slice of paradise into a living hell

When Gary Hullen is not in his motorhome, he can usually be found in his immaculate garden, tending to his flourishing orchards and fruit trees.

But on its fence is an eyesore: a tangle of trees and weeds that are littered with all manner of broken and rusted vehicles, old household items, and piled-up garbage.

The 81-year-old has spent more than 50 years carving his own slice of kiwi paradise in the town of Kaiapoi, north of Canterbury.

However, his neighbor’s grabbing, and what he says is the local council’s reluctance and inability to act, have pushed him to the limit.

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“There is only garbage, containers, buses, rats nesting during the winter … but nothing happens,” he said.

“He has a half-built gorse cutter that has been there for about 15 years … if there was an emergency, the firefighters would never come in.”

More than 90,000 kiwis have hoarding tendencies.

Hullen, like many of those who live next door to houses with more junkyard-like backyards, would love to see city councils take a harder line on those responsible for the worst monstrosities.

But authorities generally cannot act unless rats or other vermin pose a health hazard.

Most councils do not have a statute to address hoarding, instead relying on enforcing the Garbage Act or the Health Act depending on the issue.

Hullen has lived on his quiet street since he built his home in the 1960s.

He has no intention of moving, but says that if he did, he would have a hard time finding someone willing to buy due to the clutter next door.

Over the years, you’ve seen the section fill up with vehicles and other items, and now it’s reached a tipping point.

Hullen sees it as a health and safety risk, as well as a fire hazard, due to the vehicles and appliances that fill the driveway and the overgrown yard to the rear.

Wood stored in vehicles and old washing machines are also a fire hazard, he believes, and he and other neighbors have had to deal with rats coming from the property, crawling into his chicken coop.

Hullen said that he had repeatedly contacted the Waimakariri District Council in the past, most recently earlier this year.

But despite assurances that the council was taking up the issue, there has been no action, he said, leaving it next to a scene from Steptoe and son.

However, the council has had time to adopt a new ordinance in an attempt to control messy grass in empty sections.

The public consultation raised other issues such as noise, storage, and fireworks, but in the end the ordinance focused solely on the messy sections.

Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said that while the regulation was primarily aimed at tall grass in vacant residential sections, the Health Act could be used to tackle hoarding.

“The Health Law requires that a nuisance be detrimental to health, that it is likely to harbor rats or other vermin, or to leave the earth in a state that is offensive,” he said.

“All or all of them are quite difficult to test and can be quite subjective.”

Environmental Services Manager Tracy Boundy said the council was aware of the Kaiapoi site and had received several complaints four years ago, initially about buses on the street, prompting evaluations at the time.

There were several similar problems across the district, he said.

Boundy acknowledged that the issue was raised again earlier this year, and it appeared that the normal council process had not been followed.

“The staff is going to arrange a site visit by an inspector to see if there is a nuisance in terms of the Health Law, which requires that a nuisance be detrimental to health, likely to harbor rats or other vermin, or leave the land in a state that’s offensive. ”

Boundy said property owners have rights, including how they want to live and use their land and buildings, and that complaints can sometimes take a year or more to resolve.

“There is also an element of privacy and confidentiality that must be respected by all parties,” Boundy said.

The property owner has not responded to a request for comment.

The situation is not limited to Waimakariri: the Christchurch City Council also receives around 20 complaints each year about hoarding.

Last year Christchurch landlord Krishna Saha evicted tenant Philip Johns for piling up trash on his Addington property.

Johns denied being a hoarder, saying the items were donations that he reconditioned to send to disaster areas.

“In cases of non-compliance, we speak with property owners and can require them to take action to rectify the matter,” said Christchurch City Council Chief Compliance Officer Tracey Weston.

“Given the delicate and complex nature of these types of complaints, they can sometimes be difficult to resolve in a short period of time.

“Some properties can be unsightly, but unless there are odor problems or a vermin infestation, the council cannot take action.

The same applies elsewhere, the Selwyn and Hurunui districts that use health, building and trash laws, as well as liaison with fire authorities and the Canterbury District Board of Health.

In Hurunui, community groups like the Lions have helped clean up properties in the past when a landlord has accepted it.

Research conducted by the University of Otago in 2017 revealed that up to 35,000 New Zealanders over the age of 50 may have a hoarding disorder, while another 56,000 “may have subclinical hoarding behaviors that may worsen as they age.”

Researcher Dr. Janet Spittlehouse said hoarding was considered a symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder or obsessive compulsive personality disorder, but had been recognized as a disorder in its own right since 2013.

“There is a certain percentage of people who accumulate and who do not believe they have a problem,” he said.

Where to get help:

• Lifeline (open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week): 0800 543 354

• Helpline for depression (open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week): 0800 111 757

• Healthline (open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week): 0800 611 116

• Samaritans (open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week): 0800 726 666.