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Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia! If it’s good for the people, get on with it!

A $35 million Government investment will enable the delivery of 100 affordable rental homes in partnership with Waikato-Tainui, Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka says.

Investment for the partnership, signed and announced today in Waikato, will go toward the delivery of 57 affordable rental homes and enable the infrastructure of a further 43 affordable rentals just north of Ngāruawāhia.

“The Hopuhopu Housing Development will help deliver better social and community outcomes for whānau who will live, work, and build cultural identity there,” Potaka says.

“Waikato has the highest number of emergency housing use, and nearby Hamilton has the third highest number of applicants on the Housing Register of any territorial authority.

“Solving the housing crisis is one of this Government’s top priorities. In addition to our efforts to reduce emergency housing numbers, this partnership is another example of how we are taking action with Iwi to help address the housing shortage.”

The Hopuhopu Housing Development will be on 170 hectares of land owned by Waikato-Tanui within the Hamilton to Auckland transport corridor. The land was initially confiscated and established as a military camp from 1920 until its return to Waikato-Tainui in 1993

Chair of the Waikato-Tainui executive, Te Arataura, Tukoroirangi Morgan said Hopuhopu was the first land parcel to be given back under the Waikato Raupatu Lands Settlement – its significance to Waikato-Tainui cannot be understated.

“Providing stable housing for our whānau further activates our focus to scale our investment,” says Morgan.

“For us, the Hopuhopu Development will enable Waikato-Tainui to realise aspirations for a unique, vibrant, interconnected working, living and learning community that inspires unity, collaboration and innovation.

“We want to drive social returns in a way that enables the investment capital to be recycled in perpetuity.

“The new homes will be for whānau with genuine housing need including kaumātua, and will include the building of larger whānau homes which may not be readily available or affordable on the private rental market.”

The first construction contracts will be awarded in the final quarter of 2024, and it is expected Iwi members will be involved in the construction mahi.

The Government’s funding contribution has been led out of Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and is delivered through the programme, which enables local affordable housing solutions that are delivered in partnership with Iwi and other Māori land owning entities.