The Green Party’s Te Mātāwaka Caucus welcome the Government’s investment into iwi Māori-led housing initiatives.

“The well-being of whānau starts with warm, dry, affordable homes. We welcome today’s announcement as a step in the right direction,” says Te Mātāwaka Green MP chairperson Dr Elizabeth Kerekere.

“The policies of successive governments – including a lack of coordination across agencies and the systemic underfunding of new developments – have prevented Māori-led housing solutions. As a result of this, Māori are much less likely to own a home, and iwi and hapū face barriers to housing development on their own land.

“Now that the funds allocated in the Budget are finally available, let’s make sure those funds get to the right places with housing solutions driven by Māori, for Māori. A local example is Te Aitanga a Māhaki Trust who is well underway to deliver 131 relocatable houses to Tairāwhiti in the coming months. This is what honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Tino Rangatiratanga me Mana Motuhake looks like.

“For Māori, it’s not just walls that make a home. A home is somewhere that is secure and affordable, where we can put down roots, raise our rangatahi, tamariki, mokopuna and manaaki whānau who are in need. Māori know how to achieve that for our people and need to be involved in all levels of housing decision-making and development.”

“Māori and Pacific peoples are the hardest hit by the current housing crisis. Their rate of home ownership is far below that of Pākeha, having fallen to 31 percent and 21 percent respectively. As a result, they are more dependent on the private rental market and are vulnerable to spiralling rental costs. This leads to a lack of security and makes it harder for whānau to put down roots in a connected community,” says Green Party housing spokesperson Marama Davidson.

“As part of this Government the Green Party will continue to work with Labour to push for measures to address the housing crisis in ways that meet the intergenerational living needs of our different communities.”

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