The dream of owning a home for Māori whānau is another step closer as work gets underway to build 80 new homes in Hamilton City.
Waikato-Tainui CEO Donna Flavell says the $11mil Te Kaarearea Housing Partnership with Housing New Zealand will mean home ownership for 50 of their beneficiary families.
Flavell says the teachings of Tawhiao to build a home will soon be a reality for his people.
“For us it's about supporting our whanau,” says Flavell.
“Part of the work that we do with our whānau is really around workshops and the financial literacy and home ownership workshop that we undertake.”
Under Te Kaarearea three and four-bedroom options will be available, including 30 state houses and 50 homes that Waikato-Tainui will build and sell to their whānau.
“The focus is to enable them to be homeowners, to secure them in their home as a family in the city of Hamilton,” says Hauraki-Waikato MP, Nanaia Mahuta.
80 homes will replace the 58 state homes that were formerly at Jebson Place.
Waikato-Tainui will look to offer their homes to their beneficiaries for $450, 000 to $550, 000.
“We've had more than 700 people that attend our workshops,” says Flavell.
“We know that we've got 5 houses available now through the RFR, and 50 whānau that attended those workshops are ready. So they're ready to purchase those homes, they've got pre-approved bank loans.”
“They need to know what's required to achieve their home ownership goal,” says Mahuta, “It's not easy to achieve. The important thing is to carefully assess the repayments, to save enough for the deposit, so that when they go to the bank they'll get their mortgage.”
Expressions of interest will open next week for iwi members.