Minister aims to lift Pacific home ownership

Pacific people seeking affordable, safe, culturally suitable and quality housing will have something to look forward to with the launch of New Zealand’s first housing strategy specific to their needs.

The Fale mo Aiga: Pacific Housing Strategy and Action Plan 2030 was launched yesterday by Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio in South Auckland.

The strategy is a targeted response to the housing challenges faced by Pacific Aotearoa and brings together new and existing initiatives to improve home ownership for Pacific people.

Key priorities are building affordable, quality, healthy, fit-for-purpose homes for Pacific people and strengthening the system to improve housing outcomes for Pacific Aotearoa.

‘‘This is a strong starting point for Pacific aiga.’’ Sio said the importance of warm, dry, secure homes could never be underestimated. Physical and mental health as well as educational, social and financial outcomes could be enhanced when whānau and individuals lived in the security of their own home and contributed as members of their local community, he said.

Penina Trust chairman Soane Foliaki said building intergenerational homes fit for Pacific people was important.

The trust was the first Pacific social housing provider in New Zealand and was currently developing five new homes in Papakura, Auckland, specifically for Pacific needs.

‘‘We put our hand up to help alleviate the housing shortage, particularly for our people because we are at the lowest part of the economic ladder,’’ Foliaki said. ‘‘All our new developments are designed to cater for large Pacific families.’’

University of Auckland architecture lecturer Karamia Muller in an earlier interview with Stuff said the concept of homes fit for multigenerational living was encouraging.

Architecture experts have previously said intensification plans were failing Pasifika and Māori. A one-size-fits-all approach didn’t fit aiga and whānau dynamics.

Muller said more still needed to be done, and it was necessary that Pasifika remained at the heart of the process. ‘‘The Government should also consider different ownership models because the housing crisis is such that groups like Pasifika are constantly left behind, and for Pacific families ... because they are bearing the brunt of poor housing.’’