$82m for Maori housing projects – but it’s unlikely to mute Rawiri Waititi
It’s unlikely to silence the stroppy Maori Party as they rail against the Luxon government and throw accusations of racism.
But Housing Minister Tama Potaka yesterday delivered a speech to the Community Housing Aotearoa annual conference in which he mentioned government measures aimed at helping provide housing for Maori.
He also announced an $82 million Government investment into Māori housing providers.
An $82million Government investment into Māori housing providers will benefit many whānau across the country, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says.
Supported by funding administered by Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, 12 Māori housing providers will create a total of 198 whare in areas where there is a high demand for affordable housing. The aim is to start building within the next 12 months.
Nine of the 12 projects are located within the priority locations of Northland, East Coast, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki-Central North Island, Bay of Plenty including Rotorua and Waikato. The others are in Nelson, Taumarunui and Masterton where the proposed developments demonstrated a significant need for supply and affordable rentals or had a strong focus on exiting whānau from emergency housing and transitional housing,” Mr Potaka says.
Let’s see if this tempers the rhetoric – for example – of Maori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi who persistently cuts loose against the Luxon coalition government.
Here’s an example from the General debate in Parliament on July 31:
We are punch drunk from the racist agenda this anti-Māori Government lead and have been led by the “dark triad”. The dark triad are leading an anti-Māori agenda in this House. We are punch drunk. You have been punching Māori since you took office.
Nicole McKee raised a point of order, saying she took the accusations about the Government being racist “as a personal reflection”. The Speaker over-ruled her and Waititi continued:
RAWIRI WAITITI: I apologise if my kōrero is triggering, but we are punch drunk from the racist agenda this anti-Māori Government lead and have been leading and are led, by the dark triad. They’ve been punching Māori since you took office. The attack on Māori wards—punch. Demolishing of the Māori Health Authority—punch. Removing section 7AA—punch. Rushing through the Fast-track Approvals Bill—punch. Cutting Matariki funding—punch. Erasing te reo Māori from public service—punch. Cutting supply and capability of Māori housing—punch. The establishment of youth bootcamps—punch. Gang legislation that will disproportionately target Māori—punch. Ignoring tribunal and High Court rulings—punch. And, yet to come, the Treaty Principles Bill—punch.
Potaka at least can offer something that might mollify Waititi and his party on the housing front – or soften the blow from the punch.
But don’t put your money on it.
Potaka’s speech and statements are among the latest ministerial posts on the government’s official website:
An $82million Government investment into Māori housing providers will benefit many whānau across the country, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says.
Supported by funding administered by Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, 12 Māori housing providers will create a total of 198 whare in areas where there is a high demand for affordable housing. The aim is to start building within the next 12 months.
Nine of the 12 projects are located within the priority locations of Northland, East Coast, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki-Central North Island, Bay of Plenty including Rotorua and Waikato. The others are in Nelson, Taumarunui and Masterton where the proposed developments demonstrated a significant need for supply and affordable rentals or had a strong focus on exiting whānau from emergency housing and transitional housing,” Mr Potaka says.
Let’s see if this tempers the rhetoric – for example – of Maori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi who persistently cuts loose against the Luxon coalition government.
Here’s an example from the General debate in Parliament on July 31:
We are punch drunk from the racist agenda this anti-Māori Government lead and have been led by the “dark triad”. The dark triad are leading an anti-Māori agenda in this House. We are punch drunk. You have been punching Māori since you took office.
Nicole McKee raised a point of order, saying she took the accusations about the Government being racist “as a personal reflection”. The Speaker over-ruled her and Waititi continued:
RAWIRI WAITITI: I apologise if my kōrero is triggering, but we are punch drunk from the racist agenda this anti-Māori Government lead and have been leading and are led, by the dark triad. They’ve been punching Māori since you took office. The attack on Māori wards—punch. Demolishing of the Māori Health Authority—punch. Removing section 7AA—punch. Rushing through the Fast-track Approvals Bill—punch. Cutting Matariki funding—punch. Erasing te reo Māori from public service—punch. Cutting supply and capability of Māori housing—punch. The establishment of youth bootcamps—punch. Gang legislation that will disproportionately target Māori—punch. Ignoring tribunal and High Court rulings—punch. And, yet to come, the Treaty Principles Bill—punch.
Potaka at least can offer something that might mollify Waititi and his party on the housing front – or soften the blow from the punch.
But don’t put your money on it.
Potaka’s speech and statements are among the latest ministerial posts on the government’s official website:
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Speech
Today I’m here to talk about this Government’s progress supporting people out of emergency housing and into better homes, as well as Māori housing partnerships.
A strong focus on supporting people into better homes has seen the number of households still in emergency housing reduce to under 1000 since the Government came into office one year ago, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says.
An $82million Government investment into Māori housing providers will benefit many whānau across the country, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says.
In his speech, Tama Potaka said he had seen many examples of the partnership between Government and community housing providers delivering warm, stable homes for whānau Māori since becoming Associate Minister of Housing last year,
An example of this partnership is Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi, a Māori CHP. They are working with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to deliver Te Kohekohe.
This development is the largest community housing development in the Far North with 60 units, but also the country’s first housing complex co-owned and co-built between iwi and a council-owned organisation. A living example that connects to this year’s theme – growing together.
More recently, Potaka and Housing Minister Chris Bishop celebrated the opening of a 12-home project in Porirua with Māori CHP – Te Ahuru Mōwai.
As Tā Matiu Rei (Chairperson of Te Ahuru Mōwai) said at the opening: “Twelve more whānau will have homes in Porirua as a result of this mahi, and we look forward to providing many more warm, dry, safe and beautiful homes in the near future.”
We cannot forget the amount of support Te Matapihi and CHA give to CHPs and this is evident in the increased number of Māori CHPs – currently 35 registered Māori CHPs out of 87. This means about 40 percent of the total register is made up of organisations that self-identify as Māori.
Te Matapihi are in a unique position to engage closely with government and Māori. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they provide to Māori CHPs in particular.
CHA supports the growth and development of CHPs; enabling them to provide social and affordable housing has been a complementary element in our partnership to housing solutions.
Wider than the Government’s partnership with Māori CHPs is its partnerships with landowning Māori entities for affordable housing, whether that be rentals or home ownership or papakāinga, Potaka said.
Today I’m also proud to announce that the Government has given the green light to provide funding of $81 million for 12 resource consented projects to enable about 200 affordable rental homes. These homes will be in partnership with Māori landowning entities and they will support the many whānau who struggle to pay a market rental.
Potaka acknowledged that some statistics were hard to shift.
Of the people who live in social housing – 49 percent were Māori, 37 percent European, 18 percent Pacific Peoples, and the remainder comprised of other ethnicities.
The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) is responsible for the administration of the Social Allocation System which determines eligibility and priority for social housing based on the applicant’s assessed need.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
1 comment:
Do maori live under trees at present?
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