There are lots of things the Barnes family of Blenheim would like to do – weekend roadtrips to Gore, drive to church, just get around town – but their lives are on hold because of a transport problem.
The family have lost the use of their specially modified 1993 Nissan Atlas van. Linda Barnes said the warrant had expired and the van was "beyond repair".
She and husband Sean, who live in Rogers St, have been left to get around on special cycles for groceries and to church on Sundays, even in the rain.
Mrs Barnes has Cauda Equina Syndrome and has been in a wheelchair for about 11 years after a childhood injury was aggravated when she picked up her son James, now 12, from a crib. Cauda Equina Syndrome is a neurological condition which affects the spinal cord.
The van was essential for the family, she said.
"It just means we're more able to get involved with the community and we can visit our family in Nelson and Gore instead of them having to come to us. It's good to just be able to get in the car and go away for a weekend," she said.
Importing a fully modified van would cost about $60,000 and it would cost about $15,000 to buy a van here and have it modified.
"It's an absolutely huge cost", she said.
Taxis were either off-duty or unavailable when they needed them, Mrs Barnes said.
Although the family are on the waiting list for a new van from the district health board, this was no guarantee they would get one.
The couple married on January 1 this year and Mrs Barnes moved to Blenheim from Whangarei in March. She plans to go back to study next week to become a primary school teacher and, although she is doing the course by correspondence, still has to do a placement at a primary school.
Mr Barnes, a qualified builder who has epilepsy, is unable to drive and was made redundant several months ago. He has been unable to apply for jobs outside Blenheim because his wife is the only one able to drive.
"There's no work out there as it is," she said. "He doesn't have seizures any more, but he's having to look for something very local where he can ride his bike to."
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