Govt announces $55m support package for Māori housing in Northland

Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau chair Pita Tipene says the Government has been very responsive to their calls for a partnership to address Māori housing. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The Māori housing crisis remains so bad in Tai Tokerau some people are still forced to live under park benches, in tents or milk sheds, a Northland iwi leader says.

Ngāti Hine leader Pita Tipene drew attention to the issue in his role as chair of Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau - a collective of Northland-based Māori housing service providers supported by local iwi, hapū and Ahu Whenua Trusts.

But hope is on the horizon for Māori after the Government announced on Monday a $55 million support package to deliver up to 100 homes and 110 infrastructure sites by June 30, 2025.

Associate Minister of Housing Peeni Henare said the investment partnership with Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau was the Government taking action to help address severe housing challenges.

Associate Minister of Housing and proud Tai Tokerau man, Peeni Henare, is excited to help deliver the support package to his home region. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Henare, who grew up in the Far North, said the housing crisis can't be tackled alone, which was why they had taken the approach to empower locally-driven solutions.

Tipene said the $55m investment was significant given Māori housing was "beyond a crisis".

"You don't have to go far to see people living in milking sheds, tents, in cars, and still under park benches.

"If people have poor housing conditions that leads to a whole lot of respiratory diseases, families are unsettled. It manifests itself in a whole lot of negative statistics for our people."

That's why, Tipene said, Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau had been pushing to team up with the Government to deliver affordable rental homes and housing opportunities in Northland.

And, he said, even though the entire country is in the grip of a housing crisis, Māori are desperately in need.

According to Stats New Zealand, individual home ownership data shows that home ownership rates for Māori are well below those of people with European ethnicity.

Māori were also more likely to live in homes affected by dampness or mould compared to Pākehā, data from the 2018 Census showed.

Of the $55m, $30m will be used to supply 80 to 100 homes throughout Northland - $20m to enable the infrastructure requirements for 110 sites, $2.31m to cover operational costs over three years, and $2.69m for project development.

Tipene said their guiding principle was "hasten slowly".

"Because we know that every day counts for the people we need to help but at the same time we realise we're dealing with taxpayers' money. So everything has to be done with diligence and very carefully."

Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau aims to become a "one-stop shop" to support Māori housing projects - of which 53 exist in Northland they are aware of.

Tipene said they discovered some needed help with project management, others with building consent.

"We are always quick to say, we're not going to be everything to everyone... we want to help out our people. They aren't hopeless or helpless, they have their own aspirations and skills for building homes.

"This is as much about self-resilience as anything and our job is to help them," he said.

The Heads of Agreement with Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau was one of four Government Māori housing initiatives nationwide, with others in the likes of Taranaki and Gisborne.

Henare said there was a clear need in Northland as places like Moerewa and Kawakawa grappled with supply and labour force issues that hindered builds.

A lack of jobs in rural parts of Northland, where people have moved home to, and poor infrastructure in those areas, especially roading, were also part of the problem, he said.

But the Government hoped the support package would help stimulate economic growth in the areas of Northland that are struggling.

The development of financial literacy among Tai Tokerau's Māori was another desired outcome that would help iwi and hapū adopt sustainable solutions, Henare said.