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The old St Joseph’s Convent was sold in June this year. The tenants in what was at that time one of the worst boarding houses in Auckland, were meant to be out by the start of October. Many stayed as they had nowhere else to go.

Apparently the previous owner, who refused to spend any money on maintenance, needed repairs, cleaning the mess inside, or indeed on anything, sold it for $4.1 million. The new owner intends to create tourist accommodation. What I don’t know is whether that’s in the existing building (which does have a heritage listing), or in a replacement construction. The ex-owner complained loud and long that he was not allowed to demolish the building, and that that meant that he could not realise its “real value”.

Even at its worst, The Mission (as it was known) helped some mentally ill people to become independent, because the lower than average rents left more to use to make progress.

I hope the building remains. I don’t regret the loss of such terribly unhealthy accommodation. I do regret the loss of somewhere that those with so little could actually use as a launch pad for a better future. I abhor the endless pursuit of wealth that can drive some to treat fellow human beings so offensively.

I’ll try to keep abreast of developments.