An artist's impression of the Diane Pepene Whānau Trust papakāinga development for Ngararatuna, Whangārei. Graphic / Supplied
An artist's impression of the Diane Pepene Whānau Trust papakāinga development for Ngararatuna, Whangārei. Graphic / Supplied
The ground has been broken for a new papakāinga development on the outskirts of Whangārei.
The Diane Pepene Whānau Trust’s project at Ngararatunua is the first papakāinga to be built under Whangārei District Council’s new Development Contributions Policy and to gain consent under its new Papakāinga Provisions.
KrisMacDonald, general manager of Northland-based Māori housing service providers Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau (TPTT), was excited to see the project come to fruition. She praised whānau involved for their drive in pursuing it.
MacDonald said the 11 whare (housing) development was unique in its site layout, which has been designed to accommodate multigenerational whānau living while maximising land availability for other activities.
A diagram shows the layout of the Ngararatuna development, which has been designed to accommodate multigenerational whānau. Graphic / Supplied
An artist's impression of the development that will feature 11 whare. Graphic / Supplied
“I admire the vision of the whānau to lead the site layout and whare design, ensuring architects, engineers and planners got it right for their whānau vision.”
The approach, part of the Operative Whangārei District Plan, stems from a two-phase initiative launched in 2009. That was when Whangārei District Council began working with Te Puni Kōkiri, Housing New Zealand, and the Māori Land Court to address the challenges Māori face in developing their whenua.
It aimed to embed supportive planning rules, streamline implementation and build capacity within Māori communities.
Under the plan changes, papakāinga development is a permitted activity on Māori freehold land, provided certain standards are met.
The Whangārei District Council also introduced a Papakāinga Development Plan process or “toolkit” to simplify applications, supported by free pre-application advice from some of the stakeholder agencies.
To further reduce barriers, the council is facilitating a Papakāinga Fund offering up to $40,000 per project to cover regulatory costs.
The grants are part of a $300,000 contestable pool supported by the Department of Internal Affairs’ Better Off funding package. Applicant projects must have a completion date no later than June 30, 2027.
Tipene said papakāinga aspirations should not have been as time-consuming and costly as they were previously.
“We must reduce barriers and support whānau to reach their housing and living aspirations. I encourage those standing for local government roles to take heed of whānau papakāinga aspirations across our rohe.”
As of last month, TPPT had opened at least six papakāinga developments and would be gearing up for a busy summer earthworks season, with more than 10 other papakāinga developments in the pipeline.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast.
