Te Tai Rāwhiti – East Coast whānau are set to enjoy greater access to modern housing thanks to a $75 million Government-Iwi partnership that will deliver 150 affordable homes.
The Government is partnering with East Coast Iwi collective Toitū Tairāwhiti to deliver the affordable rentals in Gisborne. The Government is contributing $49 million, with the Iwi collective to contribute the remainder.
“The Tūranga Tangata Rite development today contributes to the Government’s wider $200 million commitment, announced in February, to deliver at least 400 affordable rental homes for Māori across key regions,” said Associate Housing Minister, Tama Potaka.
“The new Te Tairāwhiti houses, as well as being affordable rentals, will be warm, dry, and sustainable, designed for whānau to live well. With multigenerational layouts, shared communal spaces, and energy-efficient materials, these homes reflect tikanga Māori and are built to support wellbeing. They will also help get people out of temporary accommodation and into homes.”
Mr Potaka says the project will also support local workforce development, with a strong emphasis on creating opportunities for Māori tradespeople and apprentices, supporting long-term employment pathways and regional economic resilience.
“Many of the 150 homes we are announcing today will be constructed right here in Tairāwhiti, meaning local jobs with local businesses, and a growing local economy. These are homes for whānau, built by whānau,” he said.
“The development also tackles housing shortages in the region. Te Tairāwhiti has one of the highest levels of housing need in the country. Together with iwi, we are delivering the scale of housing that whānau deserve to address shortages and create opportunity.
“On top of this, partnering with land-owning Māori housing providers, and iwi collectives like Toitū Tairāwhiti, to build more affordable housing for Māori, makes sense.
“Through these partnerships, the Māori entities bring land and a minimum of 50 percent funding on the house build costs, meaning the Government can optimise its spending to enable more homes to be delivered in areas with high housing deprivation for Māori like the East Coast, Hawke’s Bay, Bay of Plenty, and Northland.”
The homes will be manufactured off-site at two facilities, Builtsmart in Huntly and the other in Gisborne in a joint venture between Builtsmart and Toitū Tairāwhiti. This method allows the homes to be built quickly and then transported to site, the Minister said.
Since November 2023, the Government has enabled the delivery of 1,000 homes through the Māori Housing programme. All the homes should be completed by mid-2027. The 150 homes in the Te Tairāwhiti development are scheduled to be completed by the end of December 2026.
