The 2021 budget announced a boost to Māori Housing with $380m, in addition to the $350m Housing Acceleration Fund announced in March 2021. The new Fund was established to meet the costs of infrastructure to support Māori housing providers to build more homes for whānau Māori. Theserecent investments recognise the need for a greater focus on kāinga Māori during a national housing crisis that has pushed our people further into poverty and housing deprivation.They also have the potential to reshape our whole approach to housing Māori whānau for the next generation.
For decades there has been a massive underinvestment in Māori housing, with Māori home ownership rates plummeting to a mere 28%. A figure that is likely to continue to decline even further given the rapid growth in house prices alongside relatively flat income levels. In this context, Māori - tangata whenua of Aotearoa, have effectively become tenants in our own land. Despite growing public concern about housing, these issues are far from new for Māori, but have been constant feature of colonisation since the earliest periods of the settler state. Our fight for whenua and rights under TeTiriti o Waitangi continues with various land occupationsoccurring across Aotearoa and our continual push forrecognition of Māori tikanga, practices and mātauranga in housing developments. The issues related to kāinga Māori will always be about more than bricks and mortar, it is about land, it is about whakapapa and it is about ensuring whānau areable to live healthy and wealthy lives.
‘Te pā ka rito’ refers to the importance of the pā kāinga, thatis, our homes and our communities. This phrase alsoindicates that the pā must and will survive and thrivebecause it is the heart of who we are. This conferencelocates Māori research as a critical part of the growth of thepā contributing to the development of flourishing Māoricommunities. Therefore we warmly welcome Māoriresearchers and their project partners from Kāinga Tahi Kāinga Rua BBHTC, and others to contribute research thatexplores a range of kāīnga Māori issues for tangata whenua.It is timely to gather together to share our research insights,strategies and approaches with the ultimate focus onprogressing thriving Māori communities.