| 115 T T Kelly Deeks Delivering a newmodel in Tūrangi The homes were built by Penny Homes in Taupō and then transported to the site in Tūrangi. Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust: He Iwi Kinga COMMUNITY Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust has made a great start on securing a future of home ownership for its Iwi, with 14 affordable rental homes now on site at Te Iwiheke Place in Tūrangi and filled with whānau. After surveying Iwi about their housing needs and analysing the current housing crisis in Aotearoa from a Ngāti Tūwharetoa perspective, Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust found a lack of affordable rental homes in Tūrangi. “34% of houses here are Airbnb,” says Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust chairman Rakeipoho Taiaroa. “Where is the affordable housing for the people? There isn’t any. Like the saying goes, they have been priced out of paradise. Gentrification. In this place, and in this region. This is a big issue.” Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust saw no point in building more social or emergency housing if there was nowhere for people to go afterwards. Instead, they are are hitting this problem from the other end and providing wrap-around services. The idea is, whānau stay in these homes for eight years with a 25% discount on the market rate. Home maintenance education and financial capability services are then provided to help whānau understand what’s expected from mortgage providers, and if they continue on this path, within eight years they should have saved enough for a house deposit. “Before people can own a home, they need an affordable place to live,” says Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust general manager Sean te Heuheu. “As people move from these affordable rental homes to home ownership, the homes will continue to service Ngāti Tūwharetoa for generations to come.” The homes were built by Penny Homes in Taupō and then transported to the site in Tūrangi. Work began on the building of these homes in September 2022, and the first five homes were on site in Tūrangi in January 2023. he Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust is providing the land and the building costs will be shared with the Crown, via the Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga fund. Kāinga Ora and the Ministry of Social Development have no involvement in this project. “We are grateful for the support we have received which has helped to ensure that these homes remain as affordable rentals for our whānau,” Sean says. “These homes will allow our whānau the time to save and upskill to ensure that they are progressing on their housing journey.” “We also acknowledge Ngāti Tūrangitukua for their support during the development of these homes on their ancestral land.” Ngāti Tūwharetoa is in the unique position of owning about 50% of the land around Central Plateau, only much of it is uninhabitable, or not zoned for residential development. He Iwi Kāinga is now helping other Māori housing trusts or Māori land owners who want to put housing on their land to cut through the red tape and get their developments off the ground. “We know westill have a long way to go but this is a great start for our Iwi,” Rakeipoho says.
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