National Māori Housing think tank starts in Rotorua

Ngāti Whakaue Tribal Lands general manager Ray Morrison (left) at the Wharenui Rise development in 2021. Photo / File

Housing leaders and iwi experts from around the country will be in Rotorua this week for the seventh biennial National Māori Housing Conference .

The three-day conference at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre starts today and will focus on Māori housing success, starting by shining a light on three Rotorua projects: a building programme at Rotorua Boys’ High School and housing schemes with Ngāti Whakaue Tribal Lands and Ngāti Uenukukōpako.

Organisers say the conference will be about “changing the narrative” as 650 tangata whenua, Cabinet ministers, MPs, government officials and representatives from regional, community and private sectors come together for the three-day think tank.

Organising committee co-chairwoman Lauren James (Ngāti Whakaue) said they wanted to achieve a balance of focus that covered papakāinga solutions, affordable rental and home ownership, homelessness, climate change, economics, Treaty and human rights, construction and innovation through to what the next “Gen rangatahi” were saying about housing security.

A selection of voices will be broadcast on a livestream including a “state of the sector” update by national peak body, Te Matapihi, followed by ministers Megan Woods, Willie Jackson, Marama Davidson and Opposition housing spokesman Tama Potaka.

After today’s pōhiri at Te Papaiouru Marae, delegates will get a taste of capability building with a site visit to the first trade academy at Rotorua Boys’ High School that’s upskilling senior students building new housing stock for relocation by Kāinga Ora.

The pohiri for conference attendees this morning. Photo / Supplied

Next, they’ll stand on the whenua to see how capacity is generated using the tribal lands of Ngāti Uenukukōpako and Ngāti Whakaue. It’s an opportunity to learn about affordable housing and transitional housing developments pioneered by Māori before seeing a papakainga development opposite Rotorua Airport led by Ngāti Uenukukōpako in partnership with the Government.

“We’re seeing tangible progress now of integrated projects happening across the motu – it’s a force for social change. There’s an openness to working in a way that feels to our people like a Treaty partnership way of working,” says Wayne Knox, an organising committee member from Te Matapihi and former Waitangi Tribunal claimant.

“There’s been enough trust to look at doing things differently and now we’re starting to see the results and benefits of that. There are Māori-led and strong kaupapa Māori pathways which is absolutely the right direction that we need to take to deal with the housing crisis while recovering from the flooding.”

Space has been created in the programme to consider what the response, recovery and rebuild to the recent flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle entails.

The speaker line-up, according to Lifewise chief executive Haehaetu Barrett from Rotorua, who is the other co-chair of the organising committee, is “inclusive yet offers a diverse explosiveness” that’s unafraid to tackle the hot topics like climate change, political priorities, Crown partnership dynamics, affordability, Treaty rights, through to the pain points within the sector.

The conference is being hosted by Te Arawa with support from Rotorua Lakes Council and Ngāti Whakaue.

There will be pragmatic panel discussions, hard-hitting keynotes, WAI 2750 claim reflections, unpacking housing economics, homelessness response, championing Māori urban design, unveiling an innovative new app, and learnings from the various inspiring case studies demonstrating mana motuhake and tino rangatiratanga of Māori leadership in multimillion-dollar residential property developments.

James said it was hoped those attending would come away with “some real gems” they could put into practice in the areas where they lived and delivered services.

The hui will also feature presentations by various rangatira of the Te Arawa confederation in the Bay of Plenty, Ngarimu Blair of Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt, economist Shamubeel Eaqub, advocate Pania Newton, welfare expert Dr Huhana Hickey, Waitangi Tribunal legal counsel Annette Sykes, architect Rau Hoskins, leading academics and scientists, supply channel manufacturers, construction and infrastructure specialists, and service providers from out in the field.

Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell will provide the closing address on Friday afternoon.