TĀ TĀTOU WHĀNAU Our Whānau

We were living in Auckland and were looking at purchasing a home. However, the Auckland market was really bad and so expensive. We moved to Hawkes Bay in 2017 to be closer to our whanau. I was lucky to be able to transfer mahi to Ara Poutama Aotearoa, Department of Corrections in Hawkes Bay. We started researching the real estate market and were looking at different options for over a year, attending open homes but there was too much competition.

 That’s when we met Rikki Te Kira and heard about the Sorted Kāinga Ora course with Taiwhenua. The course was great! It was a good atmosphere and working with others with the same sort of story was really refreshing. With the help of Janette {Mortgage Broker} and Sarah {Lawyer} who we met through the Sorted Kāinga Ora programme, we have been able to work through the process of getting our mortgage and were really excited!

We were given the presentation about Waingākau and begun doing our own research. We approached other people to see what they had spent on building their home and Waingākau was most definitely a great option. We love the concept of Waingākau – to live within a sustainable community where people look after each other. This kaupapa aligns with our whānau culturally as our background - Samoan and Māori.

 We really appreciate the opportunity, it has been a lot of hard work but at the end of it all, it’s awesome. The Waingākau kaupapa is pono and tika. When people see that it breathes goodness, this culture can be the generational change of how people live together. The real value is how we all get along and live together as one. We are really excited to be a part of it all

This is a transcription of the attached News Article from Te Ao Māori News 3:30pm Saturday 4 January 2020. 

The Te Kira family have a new start in 2020 [Payton Te Kira - New Waingākau Resident] " This is a good opportunity not only for myself but for other people may not be able to see that it can actually happen to them too" The Whānau are moving into a home like this show home pictured in the Waingākau development. 

Waingākau will have 127 homes ranging from 2 -6 bedrooms. The Kaupapa is lead by Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga, officially opening the new homes just before Christmas 2019.

[Nanaia Mahuta- Housing Minister of NZ]  "Waingākau are focused on those who can't get into their own homes and us as the government support that through the development of social housing" 

[Sandra Hazlehurst- Mayor of Hastings] "Waingākau is a total new Eutopia - we are taking some very very barren land and turning it into a place that is alive that is green that is full of children that are being able to play, a new school of Kimiora, around the Marae a shopping centre  & Health centre being planned" 

To keep the development from getting run down a residents association will be formed. 

For the Te Kira whānau its a dream come true.

[Aroha Treacher Reporting] 

"Before we started out journey with Waingākau, we were like any other young family trying to find our first home. it was a challenging market with the criteria consistently changing and the banks wanting 20% deposit" - Leslie 

When we first met Leslie and Grace and Leslie, despite having great jobs and support from whānau, they were finding it hard to get a deposit together so they could follow their dream of buying their own home. They had the money to service the mortgage but the deposit threshold of 20% was proving to be a maunga to climb. Plus, they had their hearts set on a warm, dry, healthy home their children could grow up in, rather than a damp, drafty do-up. 

"With a young son, and a baby on the way, we wanted to find a home we could be in for a long time, and Waingākau offered that with the shared equity as well as the support we got along the way they were outstanding" - Grace

After hearing about Waingākau from a cousin living nearby, Grace and Leslie took a virtual tour of Lot 20, then made the call that would change their lives. Vanessa Rimene answered that call and with the rest of the team got the ball rolling. Being able to offer Shared Equity has made a huge difference to people looking to buy their first home and Waingākau have good support in place to get whānau across the line by helping with the deposit. 

"We're still pinching ourselves. We come from humble beginnings, and this is just a dream come true. It's a home to grow in as a family."

From the time Kisha started her first job at 16, she had a goal in mind – to one day own her own home. Then she met ‘a handsome guy at the Clive Pub’ who had the same idea, and their dream was on the way to becoming reality. 

For 26-year-old Kisha and 25-year-old Haumera, it wasn’t an easy road. They lived with Kisha’s mum and dad, then rented from Hamuera’s mum while they accumulated savings. That, combined with their Kiwisaver contribution, meant they could start looking at houses. Kisha says that was a bit of an eye-opener “we kept putting offers in and missing out, so we decided to take a break. Then one day we drove past Waingākau and saw a sign that said ‘would you like to live here?’ and we thought YES, we would!”

The couple sent off an email which lead to Rikki and Vanessa taking them through two Waingākau show-homes. Kisha says “our jaws were on the floor. We have high expectations, and we just loved these homes. That’s what made us think it was silly to pay money for an old whare, when we could pay a bit more and get a new-build kāinga.”

“We went away with a new motivation and went hard on saving. We paid off any debts, cancelled gym memberships and ate noodles, all with the intention of buying a brand new Waingākau home, and in August this year we moved in. This is the foundation for our future, and for our future tamariki.”

As Haumera says “we were so lucky to have the support of Waingākau. You don’t have to fight for these properties and there’s the opportunity to lock in the price.” Kisha agrees “It’s a family orientated vibe, Vanessa was really helpful even when we had gone away the first time, she was always giving me ‘mum advice’. And if you need help, there’s the option of shared equity and Sorted Kainga Ora, they’ve got your back.”

What would they say to anyone considering a Waingākau home? “We’d 100% encourage people to take this journey. We’re proof that buying a home is doable, it’s not just a dream.”

Kimi ora is a vibrant, exciting school with an amazingly rich community. The school currently consists of 48% Pasifika and 50% Maori. Their connection to Te Aranga Marae is strong and similar links are being forged with the Pasifika communities. The different cultures bring skills and strengths that support and help nurture and grow the kids into caring, responsible people who make a difference in their school and community.

The school has recently completed a major rebuild, with new teaching and administration blocks as well as the complete redevelopment of the school grounds into a community space.  

Te Aranga is an urban Marae for all people, regardless of tribe, race or religion. It is a place steeped in traditional Māori values and customs but remains welcoming and accepting of all the other cultures that exist in this wonderfully diverse community. The Wharenui (meeting house) and the Wharekai (dining hall) are two large meeting areas on the marae which frame a large open grassy space. Both seat around 200 people and can be used in conjunction or independently.  

The Wharekai has a well-equipped industrial kitchen attached, you can bring in suppliers or do your own catering. Suitable for workshops, retreats, corporate meetings, kapa haka, hui, family gatherings. Traditional accommodation is available in the Wharenui if required. There is a no alcohol policy on the marae.

The site of which the Waingākau Development resides, is of utter significance to the many hapū who hold mana whenua and cultural authority over this end of Flaxmere, in particularly the associated area in which the development resides.   After two Hui ā-Iwi were held at Te Aranga Marae and Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga it was decided to focus on Harakeke (Flax), when naming the roads.

Waingākau asked Matanga Kairaranga (Weaving expert), Te Muri Whaanga to provide information about the history of Harakeke to enable a better understanding of harakeke, and to explore and provide names or words associated with harakeke that can be used for the new roads.

Harakeke is a native plant to New Zealand which Māori discovered and have valued since their arrival on waka.  In the spiritual sense the harakeke represents the whānau.  In the physical sense it was the harakeke that clothed and sheltered our tupuna and was used to produce practical and necessary items for everyday use.

Waingākau looks to strip back barriers to homeownership, to bring whānau together, and provide structure to build a strong and resilient community.  Therefore, the names that resonate with the Kaupapa are:

• Kōrari (Flax stalk) - the centre stalk where the seed pods grow – represents new growth, food for ngā manu, and seeds providing the continuation of life. Kōrari to replace Mawson Ave.
• Rito (New centre shoot) - the young centre leaf of the harakeke – represents the new development, new beginnings, aspirations for a strong vibrant future.  Rito to replace Ryde Place.
• Whītau (A flax fibre) - a strong yet flexible – represents our whanau journey, the need to stay strong and resilient, but flexible enough to weather the storms for brighter futures. Whītau to replace Frobisher Street.
• Whiri (to plait) - represents the bringing together of whanau and weaving together their homeownership journey and building a vibrant future.  Whiri to replace Mitchell Place, if required.