Māori Land and Papakāinga

What is Council’s role?

To ensure our residents are well housed it’s crucial we understand and respond to the needs of all communities and demographic groups.

We want to see future housing developments providing a variety of homes of different types and sizes to meet the needs of different households and cultures that live in our district. We also want to support iwi and hapū in their work to achieve their housing aspirations in our district.

Further work is needed to better understand:

• Housing aspirations for Iwi and hapū across the district
• Infrastructure needs to support the development of Māori land.
• Actions that Council can take to help improve housing outcomes for Māori, including improving the quality of our housing stock across the district.

What are the issues?

Data shows that in the Taupō District, Māori are significantly worse off in finding a healthy and affordable home for their whānau compared to other ethnicities.

Overcrowding and higher exposure to dampness and mould are issues that need to be prioritised by Council and other housing agencies and organisations.

In addition, there can be many financial and regulatory obstacles to overcome that prevent iwi and hapū from achieving their housing aspirations. This includes constraints from the partitioning of land and collective decision-making, land banking lending practices aligned to Pākehā models of land title, and access to appropriate expertise on statutory processes and planning compliance.

Papakāinga

Papakāinga does not solely focus on providing housing. For whānau, papakāinga is vital for their marae, and provides other employment opportunities. The shared use of whenua for residential purposes is the key difference between papakāinga and general housing. This all contributes to the nature and function of the papakāinga. The whakapapa to the land is a driving reason whānau can and want to build and live in any given place.

Barriers to papakāinga development are complex, they may include:

• Central and local government processes that are confusing, costly, time consuming and frightening for many whānau. Understanding of the end-to end process is necessary when working through processes that are unfamiliar for Māori. A ‘one stop shop’ to support whānau through the process has been a strong theme in kōrero shared.
• Intergenerational trauma has been a major factor that impacts on housing for Māori. This is further compounded by poverty and the inability to afford to buy or rent a house.
• The costs associated with development contributions and rates can be a financial barrier that can impact on whānau’s papakāinga aspirations.
• Long-term economic wellbeing: Not all Māori see papakāinga as the solution to their housing needs.

Papakāinga, in its present form, is restrictive because of issues such as, but not limited to, the legalities involved (Māori Land Court), the land ownership and management issues, and that it does not allow for wealth generation. There are also significant feasibility and infrastructure costs of developing housing on Māori land. There is a need to enable other forms of Māori housing such as mixed use housing development.

Development of Māori Land

Many owners of Māori land have raised long-standing issues about barriers to the use and retention of their land.

Barriers to land development can include:

• Lack of resources - whānau or hapū may lack the resources and financial capital needed to develop their land.
• Complex land ownership - Māori land is often owned communally meaning there must be collective decision-making about the development and use of the land.
• Regulations and restrictions - statutory processes and planning compliance can make it difficult to use the land for housing purposes. In some situations, there are paper roads and public works matters that also need to be resolved.
• Historical trauma - the history of land confiscation and loss in Māori communities can also create a lack of trust in Government and development processes, making it difficult to move forward with development initiatives.

What solutions is Council proposing?

In 2011, the Office of the Auditor General New Zealand published a report entitled Government planning and support for housing on Māori land – Ngā whakatakotoranga kaupapa me te tautoko a te Kāwanatanga ki te hanga whare i runga i te whenua Māori. The report considered how effectively the Government supported Māori seeking to build housing on multiple-owned Māori land. There were two key recommendations for local government:

• That local authorities build appropriate flexibility into their district plans to allow housing to be built on Māori land.
• That local authorities identify and work with landowners who have particularly suitable land blocks and who want to build housing on Māori land.

The development of Māori land and papakāinga is a focus area of this strategy.

A recent review of the District Plan included updating the papakāinga provisions. These changes recognised that the design, size, and layout of papakāinga development should continue to be guided by the history and iwi, hapū or whanau relationship with the land.

Council is also working with iwi and hapū across the district to better understand their housing aspirations and to see where we can provide support. This support includes guiding iwi and hapū through the planning and regulatory process and working collaboratively on solutions for infrastructure and growth issues.

The following actions, as outlined in the draft Housing Strategy, aim to support and enable the development of Māori land and papakāinga across the Taupō District:

• Enhance staff capabilities and knowledge to effectively support iwi and hapū with regulatory advice about development of Māori land and Papakāinga.
• Seek opportunities for collaboration and partnership with Māori, iwi, and hapū to improve housing outcomes across the district.
• Adopt changes to the District Plan to better provide for the development and operation of papakāinga.