MEDIA RELEASE

NATIONAL MĀORI HOUSING CONFERENCE 2016

TAURANGA MOANA, 22 December – The Tauranga Moana National Māori Housing Conference Committee is pleased to announce the release of the Strategic Report on the Conference Proceedings and outcomes.

“Our focus was to ensure the significant data from the conference was captured in a way that would encourage the positive momentum of finding solutions to assist more māori into affordable housing” said Committee Chair Mr Ihaka.

The strategic workshop sessions were designed to develop effective strategies to inform housing agencies and Ministers in the Housing space. The report identifies significant outcomes of the Conference and provides requirements for future success and effective strategies to achieve better housing outcomes for Māori:

· Strategic collaboration and good relationships with all stakeholders and key players. A strong Māori housing sector voice is needed to influence central government policy change and streamline or expedite processes, drive the Māori Housing Strategy and bring about changes to increase the availability and accessibility of tools to develop Māori land, housing and/or enable Māori home ownership.

· Practical collaboration between local authorities, Te Puni Kokiri, architects and builders, land Trusts and whānau to realise whānau housing aspirations.

· Good education, information and navigation through bureaucracy and central and local government systems for whānau. This includes using best project management practices for housing projects. The Western Bay of Plenty Sub-Regional Joint Agency Group model was considered a good model to roll out to other regions.

· Good communication within Trusts and their shareholders, and between whānau members, and the utilisation of technology to assist in communication.

· A mechanism for the systematic sharing of stories including what works, and what doesn’t work, sharing of information and resources including databases of professionals and experts in ways that are accessible to all whānau.

A key action initiated at the end of the Conference was the formation of an inter-rohe temporary working committee to continue to start further discussions with government agencies on how to improve collaboration.

The Committee will coordinate with Te Puni Kokiri as a lead agency to form a working committee to identify and develop strategies for better inter-agency delivery of services/resources for Māori housing in response to national Māori Housing Strategies as well as seek ongoing support from Te Puni Kokiri for the next conference and the succession and transfer of knowledge from the Conference Organising Committee to the new organising committee from Waikato-Tainui.

The Tauranga Moana National Māori Housing Organising Committee would like to acknowledge those who participated in the conference, the delegates and the keynote speakers and facilitators who shared their vision, experiences and knowledge in housing. All speaker presentations, video footage and the strategic report can be found on the website www.maorihousingconference.nz

The committee would like to acknowledge the sponsors Te Puni Kokiri, Mangatawa Papamoa Blocks Inc, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Babbage Consultants, Boffa Miskell, Tauranga City Council, Travois, Stratum Consultants, National Science Challenges, Holland Beckett, Papakainga Solutions Ltd, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, ABC Homes, Signature Homes, The Property Group, Community Housing Aotearoa and Modcom Buildings, Thank you all for your generous support!

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