Ridiculous tax status for Māori housing provider

The Māori Party supports the call for a law change, if required, to ensure a Māori social housing provider doesn’t lose its charitable tax status.

He Korowai Trust has renovated nine former State houses to accommodate low income whānau in Kaitāia. It planned to allow whānau to eventually buy the homes they would be renting initially.

Māori Party Co-leader Marama Fox says it’s a ridiculous situation that needs to be fixed quickly.

“If the current law penalises social housing providers for assisting low income whānau to own their own home, then the law needs to change. Home ownership must be one of the aims of social housing”, she says.

Māori Party Co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell says He Korowai Trust demonstrates a Whānau Ora approach to housing families and it should be fully supported.

“We’ve got a private Māori Trust that has committed itself to providing wrap-around services to whānau who need it. It is clearly a not-for-profit organisation,” he says.

Former Māori Party Co-leader Tariana Turia launched the Māori Housing Strategy at He Korowai Trust’s housing site last year.

Mr Flavell says the papakāinga project in Kaitāia is an excellent exemplar for other Māori housing providers and because of this it is vital that its tax status is clarified.

ENDS

© Scoop Media