A new shared-equity scheme that will help families of a Tauranga hapū on to the property ladder has been finalised.

Ngā Pōtiki a Tamapāhore Trust signed an agreement with Westpac New Zealand yesterday after eight months of negotiations.

The Ngā Pōtiki Housing Shared Equity Scheme was designed to help Ngā Pōtiki families achieve their dreams of homeownership.

Ngā Pōtiki housing project co-ordinator Victoria Kingi said the hapū had approved the first 21 families who will benefit from the scheme with construction set to begin in October.

The first homes were expected to be built within the trust's Pāpāmoa housing development, Manawa.

"Quality housing is a critical post-Treaty settlement strategy for Ngā Pōtiki," Kingi said.

"The benefits to our members' lives through this scheme will positively impact many other areas of our members' lives such as health, general wellbeing, education, and whanau health."

Kingi said the scheme meant Ngā Pōtiki would contribute equity as a co-owner and Westpac would provide lending to hapū members on the "usual terms".

"The homeowners will be able to buy out Ngā Pōtiki once equity builds in their homes," she said.

Ngā Pōtiki chairman Colin Reeder was pleased the agreement had finally been signed.

"The Ngā Pōtiki Housing Shared Equity Scheme represents our desire to assist our people into home ownership," he said. 

Westpac NZ chief executive David McLean said the initiative helped Ngā Pōtiki members overcome the barrier of needing a large deposit and lowered their loan servicing costs.

"As the owner's income or equity rises they can then take on a greater stake until they own the whole property," he said.

"With housing increasingly unaffordable in many areas, we think shared equity is a solution that has strong potential."

Waiariki MP Tamati Coffey said Ngā Pōtiki was setting a template for Māori landowners and trusts to be able to follow.

"With anything that helps Māori whānau to be able to get into houses is always going to be welcomed," he said.
Tauranga City Council economic development and investment committee chairman Max Mason said it was encouraging to see Ngā Pōtiki leading "a nationally significant housing initiative".

"Ngā Pōtiki are smart and professional leaders who are confident enough to challenge the status quo and negotiate innovative housing solutions with Westpac," he said.

Mason said the shared equity scheme gave the families hope to be able to climb the property ladder and pride in owning their own home.

Tauranga Mortgage Brokers mortgage and finance specialist Tracey Robinson was not familiar with Ngā Pōtiki's initiative but said shared equity was becoming more popular among Tauranga buyers.
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Robinson said he would speak with clients about a shared-equity option "once or twice a week". "It is becoming more and more common," he said.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=12090530

The New Zealand Planners Institute's - Te Kokiringa Taumata - Breaking New Ground Conference was held at the ASB Arena on 21-23 March 2018, and was attended by Ngā Potiki and the Papa Pounamu team.

​The focus of the conference was that ground is at the heart of planning. When we build, we must break ground. In a figurative sense, planners must constantly break new ground by adopting new technologies and fresh approaches to planning practice. The 2018 NZPI Conference, Breaking New Ground, picked up on these themes by looking at new methods influencing professional practice, as well as planning for both growth and decline. Tauranga, as a key urban hub located within the thriving economy of the Bay of Plenty and this kind of economic growth does not come without its challenges, such as the pressures of growth and development on our natural environment.

Victoria spoke at the Papa Pounamu Hui segment of the conference about the design trends in Papakainga and Maori Land Development in Tauranga Moana 2018. You can read Victoria's presentation by clicking here.

Source: Sunlive, ​http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/24284-maori-housing-report-rejected.html 
​7:03am Wednesday 18 Apr, 2012 | By Andrew Campbell andrew@thesun.co.nz

The productivity commission's been told to rethink its attitudes to Maori housing in a hard hitting report into housing needs in the Bay of Plenty.
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A lack of in depth analysis, and a failure to address noted shortcomings in the Housing Corporations Kainga Whenua programme are two items listed in submissions to the commission by the Western BOP Maori Housing Forum.

The Forum is a collective of 66 Maori land trusts in the Western Bay of Plenty sub region addressing the issues of housing a Maori population expected to triple by 2051.

Maori land trusts in the region want to open up 21,000ha of Maori owned land to house their people, but are facing attitudinal and institutional barriers.

The commission states housing on Maori land is “valued more for keeping whanau connected to land, tradition, tupuna, and their whanaunga, than as a financial investment. It is “about building communities, rather than building houses.”

The Maori Housing forum's submission says providing adequate shelter, and basic housing affordability are the two main issues for Maori.

“It may seem trite to say that housing is a basic human need but it is important to remind ourselves of that reality,” states the forum.

“We have current examples of Kuia, Kaumatua and whanau with young children living in caravans and portacoms, overcrowded and unsuitable living situations.

“In these situations the priority for them is not reconnection with the land but provision of adequate housing. Housing is valued by Maori for its purpose as housing.”

The other major hurdle for Maori house builders is financial. Banks won't lend money using communally owned Maori land as security.

The productivity commission identified this as a major barrier, and confirmed the Kainga Whenua project launched in 2009 has failed with only one loan being granted.

The Maori population for Tauranga is expected to grow by 24 per cent, and the Western Bay of Plenty 14 per cent by 2021.

The forum reports house prices in the sub regions are increasing, while Maori household incomes are decreasing with the general housing market remaining unaffordable for Maori. A total 81 per cent of new homes are being built above the median house price of $340,000, while at the same time more than half of Maori households in Tauranga Moana have a yearly income of less than $50,00 - 32 per cent of Maori households have a yearly income of less than $30,000.

A house valued at $350,000 requires mortgage repayments of more than $600 per week. The average Maori household income is less than $40,000 per year, or $769 gross per week and declining.

Victoria Kingi, director of Papakainga Solutions Ltd says in the WBOP 10 per cent of the housing market comprises one or two bedroom homes, while half of the households in the sub region comprise one or two people, creating a shortage of suitable housing for elderly.

Victoria says Maori whose current accommodation options include living with extended family in often overcrowded or inappropriate conditions, or living in caravans. Developing Maori land for housing, in spite of its own subset of difficulties is the only realistic option for affordable housing that Maori have.

The Maori Housing Forum has been working since 2009 at developing Maori land for housing by engaging in the district plan reviews of both Tauranga City and Western BOP District councils to secure better provisions to develop Maori rural land for housing.

The forum is also carrying out research among its members and is working collaboratively with local councils, the Maori land court and other government agencies to develop joint agency responses and strategies. 

This month sees the formal opening of the Mangatawa Papamoa Blocks Papakainga, a housing project of 10 new homes for Kaumatua, being stage one of a thirty house project.  The Tauwhao Te Ngare Trust will soon implement their Papakainga housing project to build five homes on Rangiwaea Island.

“The reality is that a lot of housing on Maori land is actually ad hoc, unplanned, and based on a first up best dressed approach. This is especially so where the land has no land trust in place or the trust is not functioning or lacks capability,” says the forum.

“This is further affected by Local Council planning rules limiting the number of houses to two houses per rural title despite the size of the land and its capacity to sustain more housing akin to a community. The task of planning for and delivering papakainga housing on Maori land is herculean and requires capability and commitment of not only land trusts but also other agencies in a collaborative approach to deliver this.
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“In turn this requires Government resourcing to provide for Project Drivers or Managers - a range of expertise usually associated with building developments; financial and structuring advice; constant stakeholder management; constant engagement with and assistance to potential home owners or tenants to get them to the level of necessary readiness to qualify for lending. It is no easy task to build a community and requires a new way of operating, a joint agency approach working with Maori.”

Papakainga Solutions have been instrumental in negotiating a whole new legal regime with Housing New Zealand that will enable whanau using Kainga Whenua loans, to build their whare on concrete pads instead of piles.  This is a major shift in practice for Housing New Zealand who usually insist that houses using Kainga Whenua loans are built on piles not concrete pads.  This is a very important development and creates opportunities for large land trusts, incorporations and Treaty settlement tribes to undertake large housing projects for their people, for example Mangatawa Papakainga. The new legal regime has been accepted by Housing New Zealand and Kiwibank. 

Building on concrete pad reduces the cost of building by approximately $3000 - $4000.  It also enables level entry access and level internal garaging.
 
PSL want to acknowledge HOBEC our preferred legal advisers for their assistance in developing the suite of legal documents. If you would like to find out more about how this opportunity works PSL can provide advice.

Published on Nov 28, 2016
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A Bay of Plenty Māori trust is leading the way in providing affordable housing. The Ngā Pōtiki a Tamapahore Trust has launched the housing scheme called Manawa with the first phase set to commence early next year. Hinerangi Goodman reports.

A Maori initiative to offer affordable housing to its people has formally been launched.

Nga Potiki a Tamapahore Trust formally launched Manawa - The Heart of Papamoa, at Mangatawa Marae, Tauranga, on Saturday.

The 50 acre, residentially zoned development is on Te HouHou settlement land in Papamoa.

The project will include 240 house sites, 30 per cent of which will be set aside for Nga Potiki hapu members. The area has been designated a Special Housing Area.

Manawa has been designed to reflect the historical and cultural connections the hapu has to the land, while providing much-needed quality, affordable housing for Nga Potiki members, as well as a commercial return on the remaining sites, which will be sold to national group builders for release to the general public.

Civil works are planned for Stage 1 to progress in early 2017, being a total of 110 sites, 40 of which are set aside for Nga Potiki members.

The development will include a mix of affordable rentals, license to occupy and affordable house and land packages.

Much work has occurred behind the scenes to get the project to this stage, including securing an early release of Te HouHou from the Crown ahead of settlement legislation being passed.

Nga Potiki will receive title to Te HouHou ahead of all other settlement transfers under the Ngai Te Rangi and Nga Potiki Treaty Settlement.

Interested parties can register their interest for this unique, community-focused residential development at www.manawapapamoa.co.nz

Some of the Bay of Plenty's largest community funding organisers have come together to improve local emergency housing and housing quality.

BayTrust, TECT, the Acorn Foundation, Rotorua Trust and the Eastern Bay Energy Trust have agreed to work together to tackle the problems after commissioning a research paper to look at housing issues across the Bay and examine what community funders can do to make the most difference.
The high-level report, prepared by the Centre for Social Impact, has just been released and looks at a wide range of housing issues affecting Tauranga City, Western Bay of Plenty, Whakatane, Opotiki, Kawerau, Rotorua and Taupo.

Problems such as affordability, availability, suitability and quality were studied and recommendations made on potential roles and opportunities for Community Funders to make a positive impact in these areas.

BayTrust chief executive Alastair Rhodes said in a statement this morning that although affordable housing was a critical issue, the keys to resolving it largely rested with central and local government policies.

Instead the group will collectively focus on improving housing quality (particularly healthy housing) and providing more assistance for emergency short-term housing issues.

"Poor quality and unhealthy housing is a widespread issue across the Bay. Cold, damp houses create significant health issues and negatively impact the quality of life of families. It also particularly affects children and older people," Mr Rhodes said.

"Meanwhile, the current pressures on the rental market and a lack of emergency short-term housing has resulted in an increasing number of people being homeless so there is a real need for temporary accommodation, particularly for women and children. These are issues where community funders in partnership with key government agencies, NGOs, iwi, councils and the community, can make a real and immediate difference."

In Tauranga, the report identified several other pressing issues including: lack of family-suitable dwellings (3+ bedrooms); lack of 1-2 bedroom dwellings; overcrowding; lack of suitable low cost housing for older people; and lack of affordable houses to either buy or rent.

Nicky Wilkins, general manager of the Acorn Foundation, said the funding organisations needed to be strategic, intentional and innovative and invest in the right areas to see change.

"This research really highlights the need to collaborate and work together if we want to make a real difference. The issues are complex and different across the region, and there is no one solution."

In the last five years community funders have invested nearly $9m across the region into housing. This has primarily been through insulation programmes, supporting housing developments and providing funding to organisations that work to help people find and stay in sustainable housing.
TECT general manager Wayne Werder has seen the difference that retro-fitting insulation in older homes can make.

"TECT has been involved in home insulation programmes for a number of years. We know that warm homes make people healthier and save money. The key to future investment will be ensuring we can prioritise where this investment will have the greatest impact.

"Commissioning this paper was the start of us of working more closely together on housing, and will help inform where we go from here."

The sustainable housing research paper is now available for download from each funder's website and BayTrust's website here and at the link below.

A Māori housing expert wants the government to streamline housing services and says Te Puni Kōkiri (TPK) could be the best agency to lead the initiative. Victoria Kingi of Mangatawa Papamoa Block Incorporated spoke to around 200 attendees at the National Māori Housing conference in Tauranga today.
More than 30 families now have roofs over their heads at Mangatawa, but it's been a hard road to get the deal done.

Kingi says, “We have multiple agencies involved in housing and we need to see better collaboration and alignment across the agencies in terms of their strategies.”

Housing New Zealand and TPK are two agencies that offer Māori housing advice.

“I think TPK is a natural fit, I really do, I think they handled funding from the Social Housing network to Maori Housing network really,” says Kingi.

Minister of Social Housing Paula Bennett says, “We are all in and what I mean is that what I do affects Maori housing I'm acutely aware of that.”

Quotable Values for August show the average house price in Tauranga topped $600,000.

Barney Rangi has recently returned from Australia and says, “The only reason why we came back here, my wife is from here but she was passed away.”

Rangi's neighbours include relations who link to the Mangatawa Papamoa Block incorporated. Bennett isn't sure if she'd fit in on a papakāinga herself.

“I'm not sure if would suit me right now, with my family but I don't know everyone is different.”

Bennett says her party's policies regarding Māori have come a long way since Don Brash was their leader.

“I just don't agree with Don Brash its old thinking and seems archaic and is ridiculous.”
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But for Rangi and the residents of Mangatawa, a better future is on the horizon.