Conference held to help Maori secure housing finance

It's time to work together with iwi, housing providers and the finance sector, says minister

Conference held to help Maori secure housing finance

The government has announced a Māori housing finance wānanga to tackle barriers in accessing finance to build housing on Māori land.

On August 14, Māori housing advocacy organisation Te Matapihi hosted a wānanga aiming to address the problem. It was attended by iwi, financial and legal experts, banking sector representatives and Māori housing providers.

According to Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta, it is time to work together with iwi, Māori housing providers and the finance sector to pursue innovative financing alternatives to improve access to finance to build on Māori land.

“A crucial part of government policy is to help more Māori get into housing, and there are great opportunities to partner with Māori to do this,” she said.

Te Matapihi Chairperson Rau Hoskins, meanwhile, said: “We are pleased to see the collaboration and willingness from all key parties now in finding a purpose designed solution to financing housing on Māori land.”

 “The Māori housing finance wānanga is an opportunity to think about the strengths and limitations of the current approach and to design innovative alternatives to make finance more accessible,” Mahuta added.

 

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