Haere whakamua, titiro whakamuri – as we move forward, we acknowledge the past.

In 2020 the Māori population of Aotearoa is overwhelmingly urban, and nowhere more so than here in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Tāmaki Makaurau remains one of the most unaffordable property markets in Aotearoa, and Māori are amongst the groups most disproportionately affected by this unaffordability. Māori home ownership rates continue to fall steadily, and when combined with other challenges faced by Māori often results in limited availability of housing choices for whanau. This can lead to poor housing circumstances, which can in turn compound issues of equity, social, cultural and physical wellbeing for Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Issues around providing appropriate housing to meet Māori needs are highly complex, and particularly in Tāmaki Makaurau where less than 1% of the takiwā remains in Māori title. The web of legislation and regulation created by central and local government agencies, financial institutions and service providers is complex, and can be both difficult and frustrating to negotiate for Māori trying to unlock the potential for housing on their ancestral whenua, let alone on land held by Māori under general title.

These challenges do not however dilute the aspiration of some Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau for their whanau to live together and thrive as Māori, in safe, warm, dry and healthy homes.

Traditional communal ways of living focussed on the wellbeing and security of the whanau offer much to consider in the design and development of contemporary housing solutions for Māori to live as Māori. This is a core area of focus for the Māori Housing Hub.