- Hon Peeni Henare
Seeing another deserving whānau move into a warm dry home is a further positive step forward for this Government's Housing strategy, says Associate Minister of Housing (Māori Housing) Peeni Henare.
"It's fantastic to be here in Ōpōtiki alongside the iwi Whakatōhea supported by the Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board to celebrate the opening of this new home and the whānau moving into it," Peeni Henare said.
The new home is one of 5 that has been made possible with the funding support from Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga - Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. The Government is collaborating with iwi to deliver more homes to local whānau where supply is an issue. This is one of 23 homes to te developed in Ōpōtiki and Tairāwhiti.
"Today our whānau now have a place to call home, a place for their whānau and tamariki to grow, on their whenua. They can remain connected to their whānau and their whakapapa, in a place that holds significance for them as their kāinga," Peeni Henare said.
"Many whānau are returning to their whenua to be at home with their wider whānau and maintain connections, especially in more recent trying times with COVID-19," Peeni Henare said.
The new home has embraced innovation and technology to accommodate the requirements of whānau who live in remote settings. The combination of pre constructed pods, offers flexibility and choice for this whānau.
The home is an example of the thinking that has gone into the recently announced MAIHI Ka Ora - the National Māori Housing Strategy, which puts in place a long-term plan to grow, invest in and respond to Māori housing need," Peeni Henare said.
"As a result, iwi and Māori will achieve more and better housing through new models like these examples in Ōpōtiki. A key benefit of this model is that housing solutions are delivered by those who have the best understanding of the needs of their people.
"We will get there together, Māori and the Crown in true partnership delivering better houses, better homes, and a better future for our whanau," Peeni Henare said.
Editor Note
Government housing achievements:
- $350 million Māori Infrastructure Fund to enable at least 2,700 houses (at least a 1000 of these will be homes delivered through Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga investment.)
- $380 million for Māori housing in Budget 2021 to build on the MAIHI work we've started.
- We've moved to stop housing speculation, with our ban on foreign buyers and removing tax advantages for property speculators.
- Since November 2017 we have delivered an extra 8,516 public housing homes, with 6,751 being new builds. An extra 2,867 Transitional homes have also been added in this time.
- We are investing more than any government has done since the 1970's on infrastructure like pipes and roads to get more housing built.
- Our $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund for infrastructure will invest in increasing the pace and scale of new, affordable housing, including for Māori
- $2 billion in extra borrowing for Kāinga Ora for strategic land purchases for housing.
- We are cutting red tape to boost housing supply and enable more medium density housing - allowing people to build up to three homes of up to three storeys on most sites without the need for a resource consent
