Ka Tu Kainga Rua

A joint project by 

Utakura 7 Incorporation and Utakura 7 Charitable Trust

Our Vision

That the shareholders and beneficiaries of Utakura7 shall live prosperously in healthy, thriving, well-educated communities always strong in the knowledge of who we are while holding tightly to the teachings of our tupuna and our whanaungatanga

Background

The old whakatiki says  

“Ka hinga kainga tahi, ka tu kainga rua”

When one house falls, another is stood to take its place

Whanau that hail from our little corner of Paradise are humble people with simple needs. No matter where they reside and no matter how long they have been away and no matter that they may have never lived in the valley.  Many of them share a simple aspiration. And that is to live on their whenua tupuna, to return Home to their turangawaeawae.

Many years ago, a Papa Kinga policy was developed by Utakura 7 Incorporation as a way to support this aspiration. However, the barriers to realising this have been so high and so many, that we yet to receive a single application. The inability of whanau to navigate the housing regulatory environment coupled with the challenges of obtaining sufficient finance to build housing that is secured against the house itself, has resulted in zero applications to this policy.

All the while, our whanau in the valley continue to live in what can be best  referred to as extremely challenging conditions.

And we would go as far as to say that intergenerationally,  housing conditions for whanau have markedly worsened.

Whānau from the Utakura Valley belong to the following hapu:, Ngāti Toro, Te Ngahengahe, Ngāti Hao, Te Honihoni and Te Popoto, Being able to live on our whenua Tupuna has been a long-held dream of many of the shareholders of Utakura 7, Sadly the pathway to this dream has been one that has been fraught with so many challenges that only a  few have been able to complete this journey. In recent years the struggle of daily life has become so daunting that most have completely given up on this dream.

We understand that one of the preliminary findings of the draft interim report on improving housing and wellbeing in Utakura is that the essential housing repairs programme does not cater or meet the needs of those whanau living in the worst situations of all – where their whare are in such a state of disrepair that it is more economical to demolish it.  The draft report goes further to suggest that there is a need to immediately address this gap (ie, to replace the most derelict whare because whanau will continue to live in these whare regardless of the condition) and ensure that a broader and more flexible range of options is available to deal with diverse Maori housing needs. Utakura 7 Incorporation has been mentioned as being “well-placed to take up and facilitate future housing projects in the Utakura Valley to fill this gap, with appropriate incentives and support from government agencies”   It also implies that Utakura 7 Incorporation is well placed for the purposes of improving housing and wellbeing for our hapori, hapu, and whanau.

 A final report is due at the end of August 2020.”

During the COVID-19 lockdown,  A snapshot of the Utakura and Horeke community found 311 people living in 80 dwellings. Approximately 20% of these people were recorded as kuia/kaumatua, 41% pakeke and 39% tamariki. Furthermore, a number of these dwellings housed multiple generations of whānau and/or large numbers of people within the one whare (for example, there were 14 people residing in one whare, and in another there were 10 tamariki to one pakeke). 

The actual total of dwellings ‘of all types’ including cars, vans, caravans, and lean-tos came to 121.

Despite variations in population data, the various data sources are consistent in indicating that the Utakura Valley community has a predominantly Māori and older population, who receive lower incomes than the national average. The data also indicates that the population has slightly increased over the years. 

Recent statistical analysis of deprivation data also paints a dismal picture of the level of deprivation across multiple domains (such as employment, income, crime, housing, health, education, and access to amenities) within the Northland region and in particular the rohe of the Far North District Council. This data shows that the Northland region has the ‘most severe’ deprivation scores across multiple domains, in comparison to other regions

Despite these conditions, it appears that whānau are increasingly returning to their whenua from the cities and some predict that this is likely to increase with all the global changes that are happening at this time. There is also concern among some of the locals, that whānau returning home, often move from struggling to meet the high costs of living in the city on a minimum wage to living off the land with nothing – some living in cars, vans, or dilapidated shacks with very young children 

Nga Whainga – Our Goals

Given the desperate situation outlined above, urgent intervention is required to remove the barriers that prevent us from achieving our primary goal which is to make our vision a reality. This intervention is simply to return to Tikanga that worked for us in the past.

1. Hoki kei muri, ki te neke anga mua 

Look to the past, to find the pathway forward.

2. Kei te pupuri pumau nga akoranga o koro ma, o kui ma

That we will retain always, the teachings and Tikanga of our Tupuna

3. Ka tipu te whanau, kia puawai, kia whai hua

That we will empower whanau to thrive and be resilient.

This approach is effectively rolling back the way we look at our world and seeks to return to a time when housing was considered a collective, not an individual responsibility. In embracing this Tikanga we will be honouring our tupuna while exercising our collective Tino Rangatiratanga.

The Way Forward – Ka Tu Kainga Rua

The housing needs of our whanau cover a wide spectrum. From homelessness to the aspiration of ownership. From overcrowding to repairs to make them fit to live in. From living in harmony with the land to living close to mahi.

The only solution is to build new, warm, dry, healthy, sustainable homes. 

Short term, Transitional cabins on Marae land for whanau with urgent needs. 

Medium term, new social housing built on identified Utakura 7 Papakainga sites, offered to whanau on long term lease.

Long Term. support for whanau to make applications to our existing papakanga policy

The criteria for placing whanau in any housing will be as follows

1. Need
2. Previous contribution to the community
3. Future contribution to the community
4. Skills and lived experience that they are willing to share. 
5. Financial resources

We have modest financial resources and  management competencies within the  board of the Incorporation We also have offers of assistance from whanau with management and trade experience in the construction industry. We will also seek funding support from whanau whanui, third parties and government Agencies. 

Our Stepping Stone Pathway to papakainga

1. Transitional Housing, We will construct 6 Warm and Dry transitional Housing Cabins for 6 of our whanau with the most urgent housing needs and place them at two marae within the Utakura Valley. This will provide modest individual accommodation for use with the marae kitchen and toilet facilities. They will pay a modest rent and contribute to the marae expenses. 

2. We will assess the medical, material, and social needs of these whanau and support them with the help of third-party agencies, such as Hokianga Health, Whanau ora, MSD, and NISS, to find solutions that work for them.

3. We will transition them into Warm, healthy homes in New Papakainga that we will build.

5. Whanau that wish to make application to our Papakainga Policy will be given support to make this application and assistance to make the dream of home ownership a reality.