Adrian, an Auckland retiree, has lived through both remarkable success and devastating hardship. For over a year, he slept on and off in his car, battling medical challenges while navigating the dangers of life on the streets. One night, his car was attacked by men wielding baseball bats. “The police were chasing them, and they attacked me. That’s how volatile it is out on the streets,” he recalls.
Adrian’s earlier life was vastly different. At 23, he became the youngest buyer within a team helping build New Zealand’s first self-service warehouse. “I was spending a million dollars a fortnight,” he says. “Then, at 5:30 each evening, I’d exchange my suit for overalls and work until 2 in the morning. You can do that in your twenties, right?”
But the long hours came at a cost – Adrian’s marriage ended, and his financial stability slipped away. He found himself homeless and reliant on a benefit. His turning point came the evening a compassionate WINZ manager stayed late to speak with him. She listened, understood, and gave him Visionwest’s contact details. That call changed everything.
Adrian’s first connection at Visionwest was Mereana. “She made me feel welcome. I knew I was going to get help,” he says. He was introduced to Jeremy and, within days, was placed in a warm, safe unit – finally able to provide a stable home for his autistic son, Tony. “I’d been sleeping in my car or on a mate’s couch. Now I have a beautiful little unit.
“Visionwest were the only organisation that threw in everything for me.
Mereana didn’t drop the ball. She kept me going – food parcels, checking in about my son, making sure the fridge was full. Jeremy will do anything for you and make it work.”
To Adrian, Visionwest is more than a service – it’s a community. “The people at Visionwest are a different breed. They care. That’s the difference.” Now, he advocates for others experiencing homelessness. “It’s degrading. I know a dozen people sleeping rough. It’s dangerous.”
He believes in second chances. “A winner is someone who falls down, gets up again, and gets on with it.” Thanks to Visionwest, Adrian is doing just that.