Next steps in the Kāinga Strategic Action Plan: mutual understanding and shared expectations.
27 March 2019
In early March the Board met with Housing and Urban Development Minister, Phil Twyford, and newly appointed Associate Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, to discuss endorsement of the Kāinga Strategic Action Plan (the Plan) and the opportunities it presents.
The Plan focuses on sustainable opportunities for Māori housing in Tāmaki Makaurau through new service delivery thinking and models.
Our discussions with Ministers focussed on partnership with Māori in housing developments, promoting housing and ownership pathways through marae and the community housing sector, and building expertise in housing outcomes for Māori.
We found significant alignment between Ministers’ aspirations and the Plan. Turning this positive alignment into concrete outcomes is our challenge ahead. It will involve harnessing Ministers’ voices in dialogue with relevant agencies and stakeholders and setting clear expectations.
Building on the success of our meeting with Ministers, the Board is now focused on several key deliverables reflecting expectations, including:
- Ministers consider the Housing and Urban Development Authority (HUDA) model will deliver partnership for Māori – the Board will be working to ensure that partnership reflects Te Tiriti, and is not just a development partnership;
- Ministers want the HUDA model to improve outcomes for Māori;
- Ministers support Māori community housing providers;
- Ministers want mainstream housing programmes to deliver housing outcomes for Māori on an equitable basis, and they want targeted programmes for Māori outcomes;
- Ministers understand that the whānau outcome we seek is whanau in adequate housing with secure tenure, and kāinga experiences, not just plans and meetings;
- Ministers anticipate a programme of work being developed by the Ministry with input from the Board and others.
We are already acting on bringing these expectations to life and we now call on agencies to join us in delivering on Ministers’ directions. Our success with Ministers empowers us in our advocacy to wider government and others. It validates the Plan in the same way endorsement from other entities brings it to life; providing another substantive platform on which to build sustainable housing outcomes for Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau.
The Board looks forward to seeing and hearing from Ministers and government agencies, Māori and community stakeholders, and council at our second Māori Housing Summit in May, with a stocktake of expectations outlined above.