TWO Ōpōtiki women are feeling frustrated as they wait for houses through Whakatōhea’s Mata Raupō housing programme, with no assurances they will be successful.

Jackie Biddle and Angelina Gage have both put their names forward for houses as part of the programme, which is helping to build affordable, rent-to-own homes for whānau in the Ōpōtiki district.

Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board received a contract in January 2023 to fund the construction of 30 homes, which are now nearing completion.

Trust Board chief executive Dickie Farrar said these homes were all allocated, but a proposal had been submitted to the Government for funding to build a further 20 houses.

“Most of these [first stage] homes have been on private land working alongside trusts, trustees and land blocks.”

For Ms Biddle and Ms Gage, the uncertainty of when, or if, they will receive a home under the programme is taking its toll, financially and emotionally.

Ms Biddle is living on Otara Road, paying $774 a week for cabins, a portaloo and a generator that runs seven days a week. She and her partner both work.

She has already paid $12,000 to have power taken to the land and considers herself ready for a home – but fears other people may have “gone ahead in the queue”.

She said when she inquired, she was asked if she wanted to be taken off the list.

She does not know how likely it is that she will get a house, or how to go about finding out.

“Someone said we needed to get a geotechnical analysis on the land,” she said.

“It’s worst when it rains.”

Her mother, Leah Apanui, who lives on the adjacent section, said when the weather was bad there were 10 people who came into her house for showers.

Ms Gage took part in a Whakatōhea housing survey about housing three years ago and completed another application this year.

She used to have a Kainga Ora house in town, but it burned down last year in suspicious circumstances – and she has not received another Kainga Ora house.

She now lives on Waioweka Pa Road where she rents a cabin for $215 a week. Her 21-year-old son, who has a one-month-old baby, rents another for $90.

Ms Gage does seasonal work in an orchard, is a volunteer at a kōhanga reo and a housekeeper for the elderly.

“Me and my brother own the land, and I have a licence to occupy.

“I voted for the Whakatōhea settlement and now that it has come through, I am hoping I will receive help,” Ms Gage said.

Having a 12-year-old grandson as a dependent, she also wants to know how the settlement is going to help with solving the housing problems of the iwi.

Ms Gage said she wanted to find out if she was “on the list,” and if she could get one of the next lot of houses.

Ms Farrar said a proposal for a further 20 homes to go on Whakatōhea whenua had been submitted to the Government and they were awaiting a decision.

“We would like to be able to submit a further proposal, however, the changes in government at present has created a significant amount of uncertainty,” she said.

She said the process of allocation was done by applicants having taken part in the housing-need survey and registering their interest.

An interview and assessment was then undertaken to see if whānau were “build-ready”.

This included whether they were employed and had a job.

“Build-ready means they have land they can build on,” Ms Farrar said.

“They must provide evidence of ownership, shareholding.”  

If the land was in a trust, the applicant needed show they had a licence-to-occupy through the trust, were working with the trustees to get a LTO, or an occupation order, which needed to be lodged with the Māori Land Court.

“To be whenua-ready, they must have legal access organised, a road into the land, accessible to the land, which is assessed by the builder,” Ms Farrar said..

“Allocation is based on the level of readiness – this is up to the whānau member to complete prior to being allocated a place.”

Ms Farrar said it was too early to say how the Whakatōhea settlement would play into the housing issue.

“When we undertook the survey, 594 whānau members engaged,” she said.

“Approximately 150 whānau have land and are in differing stages of readiness.  

“At present, we have 30 registered, 20 if we are successful with the next project, and a further 50 if the Government enables that to happen.”

Ms Farrar said for whānau to find out about their status in the queue, they needed to make an appointment to speak with the operations manager.

Ms Farrar said the allocation criteria was not hapū-specific, but housing-need specific, and considered both whenua and whānau readiness.

“There has been a spread across the Whakatōhea rohe that is reflective of where hapū live,” she said.

With regard to a geotech report, Ms Farrar said in the first tranche of funding received, there was access to infrastructure funding that could assist with such reports, but the next funding round did not have this included.

A spokesman for Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development – said through their Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga programme, $14.55 million was provided to support Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board to deliver the Mata Raupō Stage One housing development.

“Mata Raupo Stage One will enable 30 affordable homes, rent-to-own, for whānau Māori in the Ōpōtiki district over a 15-year period,” he said.

“Whakatōhea will own the housing units and then on full payment will transfer ownership to the whānau.”

It was up to Whakatōhea as the legal owner of the current homes how it allocates whānau into those homes, not the ministry.

The 30 affordable homes were offered as part of an iwi-partnered lending arrangement.

“In line with Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga funding guidelines, all new housing will be set at prices that do not exceed 30 percent household incomes – after any eligibility benefit including Supplementary Accommodation,” the spokesman said.

“This is to enable whānau to improve their living standards and to allow whānau to enter the pathway of iwi-partnered home ownership.”