An iwi joint venture is providing temporary houses for Wairoa whānau while their devastated homes are repaired after Cyclone Gabrielle.

Toitu Tairawhiti Builtsmart has offered 12 solar-powered relocatable homes on loan to Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa, to accomodate whānau while flood-damaged homes are repaired.

Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa, in partnership with Enable, is identifying whānau to receive the whare. They will likely be loaned to kauamatua and whānau who own or rent yellow-stickered homes, and need safe accommodation while their homes are cleaned, dried out, disinfected and repaired.

The self-contained, 30sq/m pod-style homes will be delivered onto damaged properties, ready for whānau to move straight in. The first was being delivered today to a kaumatua in Crarer Street.

The first pod has been sourced from Podlife, with the remainder constructed in Toitu Tairawhiti’s Gisborne home-build factory, set up in 2022 to provide homes and trade training, with backing from Government.

Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Chair Leon Symes expressed deep gratitude to their neighbouring iwi collective. Toitu Tairawhiti is loaning the whare rent-free until the end of August (aiming to have permanent homes ready to re-occupy by then), covering insurance costs, and paying to connect the pods to services.

“Toitu Tairawhiti Builtsmart is an example of an iwi-led prototype that has been successful in building homes and Maori trade training. It shows what iwi can do when we are able to get on with it,” Leon Symes said.

Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa is seeking government support to push ahead with its own build project, including buying 20 sections with existing services to urgently instal 40 prefabricated homes, as well as building a factory and trade training facility to build 140 homes over the next two years, to enable an iwi managed retreat from flood prone areas.

“Iwi have demonstrated the ability to respond quickly to the needs of our whole community in Wairoa and we have projects ready to go to deliver the housing that is urgently needed. We have well-advanced co-ordinated plans and we need central and regional support.”

At least 30% of Wairoa’s homes were damaged in Cyclone Gabrielle. About 150 households have been displaced, and whānau are living with others or in makeshift accommodation. Others have returned to their homes and are continuing the clean-up despite health and safety risks. More than 70% of homes damaged by flooding were occupied by Māori, and more than 60% of those were rentals.

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