Papakainga housing now easier in Far North with toolkit

The Far North District Council's Papakāinga Toolkit is designed to make building on Māori-owned land a simpler process.

The Far North District Council has continued to simplify the process of building homes for whanau on Māori-owned land, and to help land owners understand building rules.

The four Northland councils collaborated on the development of a toolkit to help Māori land owners navigate the processes for undertaking a papakāinga development on ancestral land.

The 23-page guide, which walks whanau through the process, starting with developing a kaupapa and ending with applying for building and resource consents, is part of the Whanaketia Te Whenua, Kia Ora Ai Te Tangata – Developing the Land to Benefit the People Project.

The collaboration between councils was aimed at enhancing how each authority supports Māori land development in a way that best serves Te Tai Tokerau Māori land owners and Māori in general.

Far North District Council general manager - strategic planning and policy Kathryn Ross said papakainga development was complex and potentially involved a large number of people, including multiple land owners.

A number of agencies, such as the Māori Land Court, Te Puni Kokiri, lending institutions and regional and district councils, could also be involved.

"This project is about removing barriers for Māori land owners and demystifying what can be a complex process," she said.

"Our goal is to ensure that Māori land owners can easily negotiate these processes when developing papakainga on their land, whatever Northland district they live in."
The guide can be downloaded from any of the councils' websites.