COMING HOME: HOW AIREEN AND MOA FOUND THEIR WAY BACK HOME

Years ago, when Aireen Ahkui moved away from Panmure for a work opportunity in South Auckland, she vowed the next time she returned to the area, it would be to buy a house in the community she loved.  

Seven years later, through hard work and perseverance, she fulfilled that dream by moving into a brand-new home with husband Moa, purchased through the OWN IT shared homeownership programme.

Aireen loves being back in the neighbourhood, living close to family again and enjoying all the local amenities surrounded by the familiar places she grew up with. 

The couple admit it wasn’t an easy journey, they feared their debt would hold them back and with the help of supportive people like household advisor Erin from the OWN IT team and mortgage lender Barbara from Westpac, they began to envision the possibility.

She says, “Buying a house was always on my mind, but with keeping up with life, our debt had grown. I began to think we would never be in the position to be approved for a home loan, that we’d be stuck forever.”

With further guidance from Barbara, everything shifted in February last year. Barbara was direct, practical, and honest, and that moment Aireen says, was the turning point. Barbara helped the couple consolidate their debt into one manageable payment, and recommended they move their banking

“Barb doesn’t beat around the bush. She told us exactly what we needed to close down, what to pay off, and shared advice on how to strengthen our finances. And for the first time ever, we could see the end in sight. We thought, oh shoot, this might actually happen!” 

Alongside Barbara was Erin from the OWN IT team, a steady supporter who helped guide Aireen through consistent check-ins via emails, phone calls and texts. Erin’s sound advice became the solid backbone of their homeownership journey.

“It can be scary, being vulnerable and sharing all your account information, but Erin kept in touch with us throughout the entire journey. At times I avoided her emails because it was confronting, having all our numbers and figures laid out to see. But if she wasn’t so involved, we would have given up.”  

“And that’s the point of difference with this programme. The honesty, practical support and guidance. Having people walking alongside us, step-by-step, and answering all our questions.

There is genuine love and care. You rarely see that anywhere else.”  For Aireen and Moa, it meant having honest financial conversations, something that can be difficult to discuss openly in Pasifika households. Once they quickly learned financial literacy and built healthy habits, they watched their debts reduce month by month and they eventually became debt free.”

“Finance is not an easy topic in relationships. But this journey taught us how important it is to talk openly. We worked together, and that made a huge difference.” 

From February 2025 onward, their progress was tracked. By August, they had submitted their application and September and October were filled with documents, emails, and preparation. Then Erin invited them to view the house.  

“Walking through the home made everything much more real for us. We were able to picture what our life there would look like, little things, like where our furniture would go. We could see our future with children.” 

By December, the couple had received the key to their brand-new home and moved in. Now, back in Panmure where she belongs, Aireen is grateful for their journey as homeowners and thankful to the team of supporters who helped along the way. 

“It really feels like a real home. It took us a while to settle, to realise it was all real. But this feels right and we absolutely love it here. The way the home is designed, it suits our lifestyle and is perfect for us as a couple.” 

Today, they’re discussing things like rates, house maintenance, and long-term planning, and the happy couple are enjoying being homeowners, financially stable and debt free. Aireen is grateful to TRC and the OWN IT programme for caring deeply about the people they serve. 

“A lot of people think buying a house is too hard and just the thought of it is overwhelming. They think the journey is too difficult and there isn’t enough support - but there is. They really care about the families they look after. Keep believing and reach out to the OWN IT team.”