He moved to the Wakatipu from Dunedin four years ago, after retiring from the fire service, to be closer to two of his children and their families.
He applied to the trust for a house last year after learning his previous home, an ageing holiday crib in Arrowtown, was slated for demolition.
He suffered from a lung condition that was exacerbated by that house's damp and coldness.
"It cost $100 a week just to heat one room.''
Since moving into his two-bedroom Suffolk St home, his quality of life had "improved 1000%''.
"For me it's like being brought back into society again, because I'd locked myself off in a hobbit-style type of living.
"Even though I've got family here, because of my disability I tended to keep out of the eye of the public.''
He wanted to see more affordable housing like Suffolk St, but on a much bigger scale.
Those Arrowtown residents who had opposed the development "have their heads stuck in the sand''.
"All the downcasters said it would bring a blight to Arrowtown.''
Those critics forgot there needed to be affordable housing for working people - people whose occupations were in strong demand in the Wakatipu, he says.
"There are eight hard-working families here, all saving to buy their own houses.''
