TRM has been subject to some severe criticism – again. This is so unusual as SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed manages customer relations at TRM) does all She can to be “nice” to all our inmates and even other fishos.

The decision to refuse entry to WINZ or MSD (Ministry of Social Development) clients requesting “emergency housing” has not been easy as we know of genuine cases. i.e. For the last week or so TRM have had a local young family staying after their house burnt down, but they did not come through WINZ. As such, TRM’s decision deserves further explanation.

Perhaps the best way is to briefly describe three examples of their clients so you can decide whether it is a reasonable management decision, or not.

Example 1: The first time was in 2020 when the local iSite requested accommodation for a single lady for one week. As it was quiet at the time we upgraded her from a studio to a larger one-bedroom unit and lowered the room rate from $115 to $100/night. After she arrived and moved in the rest of her family also moved in with two big savage pig dogs. The staff could not service the unit for fear of being mauled. So I made an appointment to discuss the problem with WINZ. After ignoring me for almost two hours they then claimed they were not responsible as the booking had been made through the iSite. When I tried to suggest they were responsible for their clients’ damage etc. they called security guards and escorted me out. Not a good look…

Example 2: The second time that a similar booking slipped through the system was a young individual who should have been looked after in a suitable mental institution. Early each morning he would stand on the terrace outside his unit and preach to the world about everything and anything, using nasty abusive language and racist rants. Even the neighbours across the road were frightened and complained about his dubious eloquence. I persuaded him that a motel is not a suitable place for his style of preaching and loaned him a bike to encourage him to pedal as far away as possible, up to the bike trail at the top of the hill above the bridge pool, where the whole world might hear him. When he could not change gears he took it out on the bike and damaged it permanently. He was provided with a generous daily food allowance that was mainly spent on booze and chocolate. He was not capable of looking after himself. I advised his case manager who simply shifted him to another camping ground but he needed serious medical help.

Example 3: A single lady who was regularly visited by patched gang members. When her extended family also stayed, other fishing guests packed up and left for fear of her kids damaging their car. We could not blame them. When she left she stole my best steak knife amongst other things. etc…

So for some reason, TRM prefers fishy inmates who always look after their units as they know they will return again. Comparatively, they are such wonderful reliable tidy honest considerate inmates.

We trust those examples will illustrate why there is now a notice at reception to confirm TRM’s policy – NO WINZ clients. OK?