Ana Fifita’s story: Healthy Home, Healthy Tamaiti

Ana Fifita, her husband, their two children and her three siblings were living in a cold, drafty and damp 2-bedroom house, struggling to stay out of hospital from the persistent colds, flus – until Tangata Atumotu connected them with Tamaiti Healthy Homes.  

“I've got my little sister living with us. She's 13 years old and has been diagnosed with rheumatic fever disease. She was dealing with a lot of sore throats, migraines and body aches because of the cold,” Ana said. 

“I was back and forth from the hospital all the time. Our windows are single glazed, the back door of our house is very old, with drafts coming inside the house. The windows had condensation on them every morning,” Ana said.  

Heading to the hospital every few weeks was unsettling for the family who felt like they were never at home. 

That all changed when Ana attended an event run by Tangata Atumotu and was connected with Tamaiti Healthy Homes, who assessed Ana’s home.  

“It’s a really big change for our family. We're living so differently to how we were before Tamaiti Healthy Homes reached out.”  

“They provided heaters, blankets and medications. And they helped fix the drafts coming into our house,” Ana said. 

Tamaiti Healthy Homes is a free service that ensures homes are warm, safe, dry and healthy. It involves working alongside families to identify improvements including heating and insulation – which are often free.  

To be eligible, there must be a tamaiti aged 19 years or younger residing or regularly visiting the home, or a pregnant māmā in the whare.