20 | Taonga Developments T T Kelly Deeks Flexible living solutions for Māori REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Hamilton’s Taonga Developments is creating flexible living solutions and rewarding careers with its range of high quality transportable homes all designed and built by Māori. When William and Donna Tapara wanted to get into the transportable homes market specifically for Māori customers, their research showed the typical three-bedroom one bathroom home really didn’t suit. “For me growing up, we were in a small 90sqm three-bedroom home but we always had eight or nine people living in it,” William says. “Our competitors in the transportable market were offering small bedrooms and narrow doorways and hallways, and there wasn’t a lot of flexibility around accessible dwellings for elderly people. “We wanted to make sure we were offering solutions that were fit for Māori families and situations, whether it was an extra bedroom to get the rangitahi out of the house, a bach for whanau land, or extra living and sleeping space on the marae.” Starting Taonga Developments in 2021, the “We wanted to make sure we were offering solutions that were fit for Māori families and situations, whether it was an extra bedroom to get the rangitahi out of the house, a bach for whanau land, or extra living and sleeping space on the marae.” Taparas teamed up with three other shareholders, each with their own complementary skillset, and brought their vision to life with high quality, affordable, and stylish living solutions for Māori. Quickly outgrowing their space, they soon moved into new premises on Kahikatea Drive in Melville, allowing Taonga Developments Ltd to grow into the future. “When we started Taonga Developments, we really wanted to make a place where we could get young rangitahi into a really familiar environment working under Māori team leaders. People coming into our business are all Māori and it’s a really familiar environment for them. It’s just like being on a marae or being around your uncles, and it allows young rangitahi to thrive.” Taonga Developments takes a different approach to workplace disciplinary issues too. In previous businesses, if he’s had a staff member who consistently turned up late or wasn’t performing, he would raise it with them a couple of times and if it still didn’t work out, he would let them go. Now, he gets the whānau involved. “A lot of the kids that have come to us are not from great backgrounds, so we try to revitalise the family unit,” he says. “When one of our guys kept coming in late, we ended up having a meeting with him, his mum, and his nan. He really loves his nan and respects her, and after our meeting he started getting to work on time and he’s like a completely different person.” William says he understands there is a bigger picture to what’s going on in these rangitahi’s lives, so Taonga Developments is providing an environment where they can come in, get into an apprenticeship and qualify, allowing them to get their own company, go back and help their whānau, take on workers in the future, and do the same thing Taonga Developments is doing. “It’s almost like the houses we build are a by-product of the environment we’re trying to create. An environment for Māori to some in and with some support and direction, get an apprenticeship, get a trade under their belt, earn some good money, and support their whānau.” On the same Kahikatea Drive site, Willy and Donna are also running their own aluminium joinery business whose products are used in the construction of Taonga Developments’ transportable homes. Taonga Developments has an amazing opportunity to train new Māori builders, electricians, painters, accountants, draughtspeople, and office staff. Now with contractors and up to 15 permanent staff including six apprentices, William can see a bright future, more growth, and positive outcomes for the local rangitahi he cares about so much. “We’ve got an opportunity to make a real difference to whānau and communities while building really good, warm, safe, modern homes that there is a real demand for in the marketplace.” Proud to be associated with Taonga Developments
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