Minister Flavell opens affordable Housing Project

Minister Flavell opens affordable Housing Project for Nga Potiki

Minister for Maori Development, Hon Te Ururoa Flavell officially opened the Nga Potiki/Pirihima Housing project in Tauranga on Saturday 30 August. Minister Flavell confirmed that affordable housing remains an important outcome for the Maori Party and this project illuminated what could be achieved by working together.

Treaty tribe, Nga Potiki a Tamapahore Trust partnered with the Pirihima Maori Land Trust in Tauranga to build six two-bedroom accessible homes for the elderly. A further four, four bedroom homes are planned to be built as stage two of this Papakainga known as Te Ohaaki o Miriama.

Nga Potiki Chairman Colin Reeder said the new homes will be ideal for Kaumatua because they have been designed as affordable rental accommodation close to the Marae and services. ‘We provided the vehicle through which funding was managed and Pirihima donated the land as well as contributing 25 percent to the total cost of construction.’

Victoria Kingi, project co-ordinator said “Ngai Potiki had worked together with the Pirihima Papakainga Trust on the project that had gone extremely well. TECT also assisted with the extra funding. “The project is an exemplar of local collective partnerships to achieve better housing outcomes”.

This project is part of a broader Nga Potiki strategy to address housing need and housing affordability in the local community, to provide affordable social housing for families who would otherwise not have access to quality housing. This is one of a number of Papakainga housing projects that have been supported by Nga Potiki and the tribe intends to expand and grow its housing aspirations to meet the growing need of people experiencing severe housing stress.

“Nga Potiki are committed to providing quality affordable housing options across the rental and home ownership space. This project is one of many that we are putting into effect. Plans are already underway to develop 50 acres in Papamoa for housing at scale and we are also interested in the government’s Social Housing Reform Programme intended for Tauranga” says Mr Reeder.

ENDS

© Scoop Media