Better homes for Māori under Labour

Labour’s vision is that Māori enjoy an equal playing field and have the same home ownership opportunities as non-Māori, says Labour’s Māori Development spokesperson Kelvin Davis.

“Today Labour is proud to announce a detailed Māori housing policy from South Auckland’s Ngā Whare Waatea Marae.

“Our housing policy will uphold and enable the right to build on multi-titled Māori land. Labour will house over 20,000 more Māori whanau and help more than 2,500 Māori on the social housing waiting list.

“Labour will work with hāpu, iwi and Māori organisations to ensure all New Zealanders are treated equally and have a fair shot at owning their own warm, dry safe home to raise happy and healthy whanau.

Labour will:

Expand Māori home ownership support programmes
Invest an additional $20 million over four years in Non-Government Organisations and Māori providers who deliver supported home ownership services such as budget advice
Reform Kāinga Whenua and Welcome Home Loans schemes so Māori can access home loans on equal footing with other New Zealanders
Enable iwi to access mortgages collectively to build on iwi land
Investigate shared equity options for KiwiBuild houses with iwi
Establish a Māori Housing unit within Labour’s Affordable Housing Authority
Increase state housing stock by at least 1,000 homes per year.

“By acknowledging the historical status of Māori land, Labour will reduce homelessness and help more families buy their own homes, providing long term stability.

“Labour’s Māori campaign strategy navigates a new way forward because we want to promote the positive values that are at the heart of Māori aspirations,” says Kelvin Davis.

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