Today marks the final day of the three-day National Māori Housing Conference in Rotorua hosted by Te Arawa supported by Rotorua Lakes Council and Ngāti Whakaue koeke.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have been humbled to join with iwi and other Māori providers and leaders from across the motu to share information and ideas on a kaupapa that is an essential plank for the health and well-being of whanau.
My iwi – like all across the motu, had prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi - enjoyed thriving vibrant pa , where everyone had a part to play in supporting each other in the many communities which flourished across the motu.
However, the arrival of the newcomers marked a fundamental change in our way of life, in our ability to protect and support our own.
For my people this change began on Sunday 18th September, 1840 when Ngāti Whātua paramount chief Apihai Te Kawau gifted to then Governor Hobson 3000 acres of land from Maungawhau (Mt Eden), Ōpoutūteka (Cox’s Creek), Taurarua (Parnell) and Te Rerenga Oraiti (Britomart) as an act of an enduring bond between Ngāti Whatua and the Crown.
Little did my tupuna realise that this act of generosity and reciprocity would almost end close to a millennia of occupation and connection of my people to our whenua.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei deputy chair Ngarimu Blair outside the new housing development being built on Ngati Whatua land in Orakei. Photo / NZME
Today Ngāti Whātua ki Tāmaki has just over 7000 registered members who whakapapa to our rangatira Tuperiri who every member descends from and also the 3 hapū: Te Taoū, Ngā Oho and Te Uringutu, collectively referred to as Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
Almost half of our people live in Tāmaki Makaurau, and more than 70 per cent are under 44 years of age.
The resurgence in our population has been a miraculous recovery for my people, which is emphasised in our relative youth. Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have endured harrowing loss, and devastation. We went from proud kaitiaki of all the whenua and harbours of central Tāmaki Makaurau to becoming virtually landless, connived and moved on from our lands, discarded and cast to the very margins of the communities that we first invited, but who quickly thrived and soon moved to take all of our whenua. The council even resolved to move us to the Wairarapa.
We are fortunately a strong and resilient people, and our greatest strength is, and remains our people. In time we reversed the loss, we sought out some justice for all that was taken, and after generations of devastation of tears and injustice, in 1987 our claim over the 700-acre Ōrākei block was amongst the first heard by the Waitangi Tribunal. It was our last piece of land in Tāmaki Makaurau. The settlement returned 100 acres of mostly reserve land and $3m, which we’ve used to buy back as much land as possible. Shortly after, we struck a deal to purchase 20ha in the city centre. Today we own more than 160ha of a mix of papakāinga land and general title land across Tāmaki.
No experience better galvanises and emblazons a fundamental belief in a people, in a culture, than to experience the loss of almost everything. For in loss we are truly able to appreciate not only what we had, but what is most important to us.
Whenua is key to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and central to this is our ability to do what we can to help house and support our own. Quality housing is critical for the well-being of whanau. It helps foster strong community, papakainga and amenities which are critical for the health and well-being of families.
The return of whenua helped provide the resources and foundation for our social, cultural and economic renaissance. A key focus of which is and remains on our whānau leading healthy lives in quality homes on our papakāinga, immersed in our culture, keeping our home fires burning.
Today we have 250 homes on our whenua in Ōrākei which are connected from Takaparawhau and Ōrākei Marae to Pourewa nursery and maara. These include Kāinga Kaumātua - 18 units, bespoke, made for kaumātua living - some of whom were removed from their homes in Okahu. We have plans to build more across our whole rohe in wider central Auckland.
Our village is a hub of activity. Our wāhine (pakeke mai, rangatahi mai) are strong and confident, upholding our tikanga, there is Te reo Māori flowing throughout the papa Kāinga, and a growing depth and succession for our paepae tapu.
Our whānau are supported by weekly reo classes. They engage in our free fitness classes every weekday at Orakei Marae while benefiting from the comprehensive health insurance provided for all uri. Our people take part in weekly kapa haka practice and moteatea classes. We hold weekly vege collection for the community and our traditional arts are beginning to blossom again.
We have taken firm steps, and made good gains, because we understand with deep certainty that a connection to a tūrangawaewae is essential to our people, as is a safe warm home to nurture our whānau and ourselves. It alongside our marae, and our culture, connects us to each other and our community.
However, there are many challenges for us in ensuring parity in how we help our whānau into a home, how we manage the requirements of funding our many social and cultural supports and growth among our whānau, with the almost bottomless potential cost of providing and helping families in to a home.
We require capital to develop our whenua, the cost of land and building remains incredibly high, even building at cost is out of reach for some whānau. We need to deliver solutions for the varying needs of our whānau across affordable housing and rentals, social housing as well as more homes for our kaumātua.
We have begun our journey and we have taken early steps, but we have much work to do. We will continue to seek out partners and co-investors who like us understand the immense social cultural and economic benefits for all, that come from supporting whānau into healthy quality homes.
Marama Royal is the chair of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. She has been a director since 2O1O and chair since 2017. Royal has extensive experience in strategic planning, relationship management, leadership, governance, and organisational change. She is passionate about achieving positive outcomes for whānau, especially kaumātua.
