A young boy developed a serious lung disease because he lived in a cold, damp house with black mould on the walls. Sadly, it’s not an isolated case in Auckland, as senior investigative reporter Michael Morrah learns from staff at Kidz First Hospital. 

An Auckland mother thought her son might die after he was admitted to intensive care with severe breathing complications – a condition she attributes to living in a damp rental where black mould covered walls in multiple rooms. 

Montoya Fitimase, a mother of five, spoke to the Herald about her son Amias’ plight on a ward at Kidz First Hospital – which is part of Middlemore Hospital – where her son was being treated for bronchiectasis. 

Montoya Fitimase and her son Amias at Kidz First Hospital in South Auckland. Photo / Annaleise Shortland

Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung disease which makes it hard to breathe and requires ongoing medical oversight. 

Research shows damp and mouldy homes increase bronchiectasis risk – and New Zealand has high rates of the disease. 

“There are moments I don’t want to relive because there was a point where I thought my son wasn’t going to make it,” Fitimase told the Herald, while recounting one of her son’s four admissions to intensive care while living at the Māngere rental property. 

The family lived at the flat from December 2021 until August 2024, when they moved out because mould appeared on walls in the bedrooms, the lounge and in the toilet. 

Black mould appeared on multiple walls at Montoya Fitimase's rental, where she lived with her five children.

Prior to mould appearing, Fitimase said, she raised concerns about leaks and a hole in the front door with her landlord on multiple occasions. 

She believed the issues relayed were either not acted on or “swept under the carpet”. 

Even with heaters on and rugged up head to toe, Fitimase likened conditions in the rental to “we’re in Antarctica”. 

Black mould in the toilet at Montoya Fitimase's Māngere rental property. 

She went to the Tenancy Tribunal over the state of the property and won. Although, sitting next to her son’s hospital bed, she did not feel justice was served. 

“We had to chuck a lot of our items away, including clothing. Compensation was little to none. I felt let down, especially for my babies,” she said. 

Montoya Fitimase won a Tenancy Tribunal case after mould appeared on the walls of the Māngere rental where she lived with her five children. Photo / Annaleise Shortland 

Fitimase’s 3-year-old Rome has also developed breathing difficulties, although she said the issues are fortunately not as severe as his older brother’s. 

The black mould – which she called a “silent killer” – first appeared in a patch on her bedroom wall before eventually spreading to other rooms in the house. 

Fitimase would diligently clean the mould away, and keep the house ventilated, only for the mould to reappear. 

Black mould covered a wall behind a child's cot. 

Amias was just 1-and-a-half years old when his ongoing sickness turned into a life-threatening emergency. 

The pair had only recently been discharged from hospital when Amias deteriorated again and lost colour in his lips. 

Fitimase returned to hospital where an X-ray revealed his right lung “covered in pneumonia”. 

“He was rushed straight to the resuscitation room. That’s where it all started and it’s just been a long journey ever since,” she said. 

Amias Fitimase has bronchiectasis and regularly visits Kidz First Hospital for treatment for the chronic lung disease. 

On another occasion, when Amias’ oxygen levels dropped while the family were at home, Fitimase left the house with her children and they slept in the car. 

“I was like ‘we need to get out’. We slept in our car for the night because I didn’t want to make it worse.” 

Since moving into new warm accommodation, Fitimase says her son has improved significantly despite often struggling to get through a full day of school and keep up with his mates. 

“Every five minutes, he’s like to his friends, ‘hang on, stop. I need to take a minute to breathe.’ It’s stopped him being a child,” she said. 

Fitimase is urging other families to “get it sorted” if they’re living in a damp, mouldy rental and to insist those overseeing the property take urgent action. 

“No family should ever have to go through this,” she said. 

Such is the regularity of Amias’ visits to Kidz First hospital, the 5-year-old refers to it as “my hospital”. 

He has planned two-week stays there for “lung tune-ups” which involve chest physiotherapy, antibiotics and breathing exercises. 

Despite the constant tests and intravenous medications, Amias – a fan of colouring, Spider-man and the Warriors – takes it all in his stride. 

Amias Fitimase works on his painting accompanied by his mother Montoya Fitimase (centre) and Kidz First play specialist Gina Bentley. Photo / Annaleise Shortland 

Fitimase says the visits are made more bearable because of the staff. 

“This hospital [Kidz First] has seen the good, the bad, the really ugly, but they’ve been so supportive through it,” she said. 

Fitimase said Amias’ play specialist Gina Bentley, who’s known Amias since he was an infant, played a particularly important role. 

“I would say she’s my big sister. The way she loves on my child like it’s her own really does make a difference,” Fitimase said. 

Bentley, a registered early childhood teacher, told the Herald her role is about alleviating stress for children to help them cope in what can be a fast-moving and occasionally “scary” environment. 

Gina Bentley is a play specialist at Kidz First Hospital and has known Amias since he was an infant. Photo / Annaleise Shortland 

She said encouraging play, and creating a place where children feel safe is critical. 

“There are new people, there are lots of sounds and procedures like IV lines and blood tests – things that haven’t happened to them before,” Bentley said. 

Kidz First has a dedicated playroom with hospital-themed toys like X-ray machines and stethoscopes, which Bentley said teach children about their condition and the devices used for treatment. 

She said families living in damp, cold and mouldy homes was “very common”, especially in South Auckland. 

“We’ve got winter coming up, and so we will definitely see an influx of children coming in with respiratory conditions due to housing,” she said. 

Five-year-old Amias Fitimase showing off his colouring while at Kidz First Hospital. Photo / Annaleise Shortland 

Paediatric respiratory specialist Cass Byrnes said black mould is associated with the development of bronchiectasis. 

“Black mould is definitely a feature which will increase your risk of bronchiectasis. Mould in a house is telling you the house is not weathertight,” she told the Herald. 

Byrnes, who works at Starship Hospital and Kidz First Hospital, has treated Amias and said the 5-year-old had a particularly severe form of the disease but he was not alone. 

“We have a shocking rate of bronchiectasis in New Zealand,” she said. 

She said bronchiectasis is seen in children throughout the country, and at her clinics alone, she treated about 250 children with the disease. 

She said such a disease shouldn’t be so prevalent in a developed nation like New Zealand. 

Multiple studies have shown poor-quality housing significantly impacts respiratory health in children, and Byrnes said moving into dry accommodation often leads to vast improvements for those suffering from such complications. 

Click here to donate to the Kidz First Children’s Hospital 25th Birthday Appeal. Donors make a difference through things like Jammies for June, new paediatric cots, a Day Stay unit, books and toys and whānau care packs. In our 25th year we’re also working to revitalise the tired interiors to better reflect our community and the tamariki who spend time here. 

Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won the best coverage of a major news event at the 2024 Voyager NZ Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.