The $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund may be used as a tool to help ensure councils meet their obligations to prepare and plan for growth, says Jacinda Ardern.
The recent Budget announced $380 million for Māori housing development to build 1000 homes including papakāinga (ancestral land housing), rentals, transitional, and owner-occupied housing. The funding would also go towards repairs to 700 Māori owned homes, and help progress housing projects and infrastructure from the $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund. The Budget money allocated to housing was available to be used for papakāinga developments like Te Kekeu where more projects were planned to be built, Jackson said. Developing papakāinga was part of connecting whānau wellbeing, health and housing, he said.
ANDY JACKSON/Stuff
Along with a swag of other MPs, Jackson visited Taranaki iwi housing projects on Friday to discuss recent Budget funding.
Thursday, 27 May 2021, 10:25 am
· $380 million delivering about 1,000 new homes for
Māori including papakāinga housing, repairs to about 700
Māori-owned homes and expanding support services.
·
Ring fencing of $350 million for infrastructure to enable
housing for Māori from the $3.8 billion Housing
Acceleration Fund.
· Funding to strengthen MAIHI
approaches and partnerships with iwi and Māori to deliver
more whenua-based housing and papakāinga.
· Better
quality housing through repairs of existing housing to
improve social and health outcomes.
The Government is
delivering on its commitment to improve housing for Māori
in Budget 2021.
“Boosting new supply and upgrading
additional housing are key priorities for this Government
At the same time, those staying in emergency housing in Hamilton has skyrocketed, from 36 households in the December quarter of 2017, to 714 households in the final quarter of last year. Hamilton City Council senior staffer Blair Bowcott expects the Housing Acceleration Fund will be used to speed up the delivery of homes where funding challenges have been identified.
Christel Yardley/STUFF
Motels along Hamilton s Ulster Street and Te Rapa Road are being used to provide emergency accommodation. “Rotokauri is a strong candidate for what we know about that fund because it is a funding challenge where Rotokauri, but for money, can’t get away,” Bowcott said.
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