Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell will open six new flats at Tahuwhakatiki marae, in Tauranga today.
Mr Flavell is full of praise for the Nga Potiki a Tamapahore iwi and the Pirihima Whanau Trust.
"This papapkainga project is visionary. The tribe is building a living community around the marae and it has made an economic, social and cultural investment in its future," Mr Flavell said.
The formal blessing of the flats marks the first stage of the Nga Potiki a Tamapahore Housing strategy, which aims to increase the availability of affordable and quality housing in the area.
"The sacred connection of the people to this ancestral land is evident. It confirms, the importance of passing the Ture Whenua Maori Bill, which will make it easier for tangata whenua to use their collectively-owned Maori land," Mr Flavell said.