East Cape whānau develop affordable housing solution

  • Hon Nanaia Mahuta
Housing

New relocatable cabins will help move Raukokore whānau into kāinga and connect them to their ancestral whenua, says Associate Minister of Housing (Māori), Nanaia Mahuta.

The Minister officially opened 10 relocatable cabins in Raukokore on the East Cape this morning. A further 18 relocatable cabins will be placed on the whenua  by the end of 2020. 

“Te Whānau a Maruhaeremuri Hapū Trust have put a tremendous amount of effort into launching this modular solution. Hei Kāinga mo Maru is a special day for Raukokore whānau as they unveil a model that could apply in other remote parts of the country where full onsite solutions to accomodate power, waste and water alternatives are available. 

“This initiative is a practical example of this Government’s newly launched Te MAIHI o te Whare Māori – the Māori and Iwi Housing Innovation Framework for Action (MAIHI) and highlights the new approach to partnering with Māori to realise their housing dreams,” said Minister Mahuta. 

The relocatable modular cabins are being provided through funding by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. 

Hei Kāinga mo Maru is complemented by $17.3 million funding received through the Provincial Growth Fund for economic growth and employment opportunities in the area, enabling more whānau to move back to Raukokore and warm, safe homes. 

Through Budget 2020 the Government invested $570m to deliver 6,000 public houses and 2,000 transitional housing places over the next four to five years across the motu. 

“Raukokore is the heart of Te Whānau a Maruhaeremuri and like many areas in rural Aotearoa, suffers from no housing supply. These relocatable cabins will mean whānau who are living in unsuitable conditions can move into warm, safe and secure accommodation.” 

Minister Mahuta expresses her appreciation to Te Whānau a Maruhaeremuri Hapū Trust, who have overseen the delivery of this initiative. 

“Te Whānau a Maruhaeremuri Hapū Trust have worked at extreme speed to help their  whānau into suitable living conditions. They understand that having kāinga connected to whenua Māori is an important driver for whānau to realise their best ,” says Minister Mahuta.

Notes to Editor:

Te Whānau a Maruhaeremuri are one of the 12 hapū of Te Whānau ā Apanui and their tribal boundary centres around Raukokore.

MAIHI is a framework for action which was launched by the Associate Minister of Housing (Māori), Minister Nanaia Mahuta on 11 August 2020. MAIHI drives a partnership approach with Māori being central partners.