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Associate Minister of Housing Tariana Turia today announced the establishment of a National Māori Housing Unit within the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) to co-ordinate strategic Māori housing policy across government.

The Māori Housing Unit will also support the implementation of He Whare Ahuru He Oranga Tangata – The Māori Housing Strategy which was announced recently. This strategy sets out six directions for improvement in Māori housing over the next 10 years.

Associate Minister of Housing Tariana Turia launched “He Whare Āhuru He Oranga Tāngata – The Māori Housing Strategy in Kaitaia today. The plan reflects the Government’s desire for a long-term strategy to improve Māori housing and respond to the housing aspirations of whānau, hapū and iwi.

The Government has announced new funding of $16 million over four years to support the repair and rebuild of rural housing, the improvement of housing on the Chatham Islands and the development of Māori social housing providers.

“New Zealanders living in remote rural areas face a number of unique and often difficult challenges, including the cost and availability of decent housing,” Associate Housing Minister Tariana Turia says.

Associate Minister of Housing Tariana Turia today announced the opening of a new infrastructure grant fund for developing Maori land as well as changes to an existing proposal development programme to better support Maori housing initiatives.

“Both programmes are designed to enable the development of social and affordable housing projects on Maori land and to prepare Maori organisations to play a bigger role in providing social and affordable housing for their people,” says Minister Turia.

More Maori will now have the opportunity to build on ancestral land after the government agreed to changes to the Kainga Whenua Loan and Kainga Whenua Infrastructure Grants this week.

Associate Minister for Housing Tariana Turia says the changes allow a wider group of Maori to access loans and is another important step in advancing housing aspirations for whanau, hapu and Maori land trusts.

Ki a Kingi Tuheitia, me te kahui ariki anei nga mihi. Aa, ki te tangata whenua o te rohe nei, nga iwi o te waka o Tainui,  tena koutou. Tena koutou te whanau whanui, nga mihi nunui kia koutou katoa.

Firstly I mihi to Te Arataura Tainui Waikato and the Tuwharetoa Trust for your tautoko of this event today.

I acknowledge the presence of the Mayor of Hamilton, Julie Hardaker, tena koe.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Associate Housing Minister Tariana Turia today welcomed the blessing and naming ceremony for a family-style social housing unit for kaumatua in Flaxmere.

“The Kaumatua Whare has been designed to provide affordable rental accommodation for kaumatua on low incomes in response to a shortage of appropriate housing for kaumatua in Flaxmere,” Mrs Turia says.

Land owners interested in building and/or renovating homes on Maori land are gathering at the Wellington Town Hall today to discuss how the Government can help at a one-day Maori housing seminar.

Associate Minister of Housing Tariana Turia says the Government has a number of new initiatives that will help Maori achieve their housing aspirations.

“This seminar will inform Maori land owners about the different types of support that the government is offering them,” says Mrs Turia.

These include:

E nga iwi o Ikaroa Rawhiti ara ko Ngati Porou, ko Te Aitanga a Mahaki, ko Rongowhakaata, ko Ngai Tamanuhiri, ko Ngati Kahungunu, koutou katoa kua tae mai ki tenei huihuinga e pa ana ki nga take whai whare noho, tena ra koutou katoa.

Thank you for inviting me to speak here today at your forum. I want to acknowledge Tiopira Rauna and to commend you for the significant role that the Ikaroa Rawhiti Maori Housing Forum has played over the last seven years, in supporting Māori housing in this role.

The Government has announced the Kāinga Whenua infrastructure grant aimed at helping Māori Land Trusts and other collectives to develop housing on ancestral Māori land.

“I am pleased to announce that $12 million over the next four years will be made available to Māori organisations to assist with the infrastructure work required for new greenfields development on their ancestral land,” Associate Housing Minister Tariana Turia says.

Hon Tariana Turia, Associate Minister of Housing, has today announced the Government has made changes to the Kainga Whenua loan scheme which will enable houses to be built on multiply owned Maori land.  The expanded policy will provide an opportunity to advance housing aspirations for whanau, hapu, Maori Land Trusts and individuals and will start rolling out on 1 December 2012 for individuals and in 2013 for trusts.

Indigenous Leaders in Senior Government positions
[the challenges and opportunities of being indigenous leaders within federal governments]

I want to begin by acknowledging the First Nations People who have welcomed us to your tribal lands and extended to us the spirit of generosity which has made us feel so at home.

Housing for Māori will take centre stage when Associate Housing Minister Tariana Turia attends the World Indigenous Housing Conference in Vancouver, Canada from 11 to 15th June.

“This is a unique opportunity to share common housing experiences with people from other countries and to learn from the best ideas and practices from around the world,” said Mrs Turia.

“I’m privileged to have been asked to take part in the National Housing Ministers Forum, and to hear how other nations have approached housing for their unique situations.”

New social housing funding has gone to Māori and Rural whanau with housing challenges in Northland and the East Coast.

Housing Minister Phil Heatley and Associate Housing Minister Tariana Turia today announced Social Housing Unit (SHU) funding for Māori and Rural segments, from the $37.35 million Social Housing Fund.

“This money goes direct to the non-government providers who applied for it, and have undertaken to direct it straight to people in real need,” Mr Heatley said.

Associate Minister of Housing, Tariana Turia has congratulated Ngati Hine Health Trust for opening the Moerewa Housing Project today, and also Te Matapihi He Tirohanga mo te iwi Trust for hosting the National Maori Housing Conference, after attending both events this morning in Northland.

Ka rere atu nga mihi ki te hau kainga, te tangata whenua, Ngati Rahiri, Ngati Kawa, Ngati Hine, Ngapuhi whanui, tena koutou katoa.

Ki Te Matapihi He Tirohanga mo te Iwi – tena ra koutou.

Ki aku hoa, aku whanaunga, ki a koe e Phil, tae noa ki a koutou katoa kua tae mai i nga kokona e wha o te motu, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

Talofa lava, tena koutou katoa,

There is a whakatauki, a proverb that we use as Maori – ma tou rourou, ma taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi. With your food basket, and mine the iwi will thrive.

This proverb speaks to the power of working together. It tells us that our tupuna valued the small contributions that each member of the community made towards ensuring that the wellbeing of the wider community was catered for.