Budget 2021: Māori housing investment could make real difference in Hawke's Bay - iwi leader

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana pleased with the new budget's Māori housing funding. Photo / NZME

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana has praised the Budget's $380 million allocation to Māori housing.

Tomoana said the funding would have a significant impact in the Hawke's Bay community and especially Hastings, which he said has a council that is leading in this field.

"We have the capacity in terms of builders and tradesmen, we have the capacity in terms of land available and we have a willing council – the Hastings District Council – which covers all of the rural areas of Napier as well," he said.

"Hastings is leading the country in the collectiveness of councils, central government, iwi, hapū and whanau."

Finance Minister Grant Robertson reading his Wellbeing Budget 2021 in Parliament, Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The 2021 Budget outlined the $380 million will be used for delivering about 1000 news homes for Māori including papakāinga housing, repairs to about 700 Māori-owned homes and expanding support services across New Zealand – which all the regions, including Hawke's Bay will be benefiting from.

The budget is also ring fencing $350 million for infrastructure to enable housing for Māori from the $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund.

Tomoana said the urban areas of Hawke's Bay and the East Coast are in need of more spending on infrastructure.

"It was good to see there were also announcements on infrastructure as well as the housing itself," he said.

The Government's funding allocation for Māori housing also mentioned that they will work on better quality housing by repairing existing housing to improve social and health outcomes.

"A lot of the housing in general is for replacement housing, but the real new housing initiatives are going to come when councils, iwi, hapū, and whānau put up their land," Tomoana added.

Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga Board chairperson Mike Paku said the Budget was a "step in the right direction" for the Hawke's Bay community and wider New Zealand.

But, he said the support would need to be ongoing in the following years' Budgets to keep whānau in secure, warm, dry and healthy homes.