A Māori housing finance wānanga is underway in Auckland which aims to tackle barriers to accessing finance to build housing on Māori land.
The wānanga is hosted by Te Matapihi, Māori housing organisation, with the support of Te Puni Kōkiri. It is designed to help whānau face the financial obstacles to build homes on Māori land.
Mahuta says the biggest hurdle is seeking finance to build on Māori land.
“Getting finance is one of the biggest barriers that whānau face to build on Māori land. The whenua is collectively owned so it is not usually accepted as security.”
She says it's time to work with Māori housing providers, iwi, and finance professionals to find ways to improve access to finance when building on Māori land.
“A crucial part of government policy is to help more Māori get into housing, and there are great opportunities to partner with Māori to do this.”
Rau Hoskins, Chairperson of Te Matapihi says they have wanted to address this issue for a long time.
“We are pleased to see the collaboration and willingness from all key parties now in finding a purpose designed solution to financing housing on Māori land.”
Te Matapihi was formed in 2011 to work with the Māori housing sector to achieve better outcomes for Māori housing across New Zealand.
Mahuta says, “The Māori housing finance wānanga is an opportunity to think about the strengths and limitations of the current approach and to design innovative alternatives to make finance more accessible.”