8. Question No. 8—Housing (Māori Housing)Dr ELIZABETH KEREKERE (Green) to the Associate Minister of Housing (Māori Housing)Question No. 8—Housing (Māori Housing)8. Dr ELIZABETH KEREKERE (Green) to the Associate Minister of Housing (Māori Housing): Is he committed to providing capacity-building and financial support to iwi and hapū to deliver housing for people in need in their rohe?Hon PEENI HENARE (Associate Minister of Housing (Māori Housing)): Yes. In Budget 2021 this Government made the largest investment into Māori housing committing $730 million to deliver Māori housing supply and infrastructure. To date we have contracted 739 houses repaired 286 houses enabled 1112 infrastructure sites and provided $8.6 million in capability funding. This Government is delivering on the promises we made to work in partnership with Māori and to deliver a better Māori housing future for our whānau.Dr Elizabeth Kerekere: Is he aware that the Government engagement on the Te Waimana Kaaku housing programme was stopped and if so what does he say to the many whānau who were relying on housing being provided through this programme and who are here today?Hon PEENI HENARE: I say to those whānau we are still committed to working with hapū and iwi to ensure that Māori housing aspirations are met. I've checked with my officials to see the interactions made between my department and the whānau involved and I say to them—and to the member who has asked the question—the commitment is still there.Dr Elizabeth Kerekere: What secure housing alternatives would he propose for kuia and koroua such as Hine Boynton who lost her house to a fire and Tangi and Edward Munn who live without power and sewerage all of whom are in their 80s and all of them would have had housing provided through the Te Waimana Kaaku housing programme?Hon PEENI HENARE: Housing aspirations right across the country while they might have similar themes are still different. I've always made the analogy that if you look towards a whare on a marae they all look the same but the carvings inside are different wherever you might go. Therefore bespoke remedies to those challenges are really important and why I say that is because for example in Tāmaki-makau-rau the access to supply to be able to remedy those challenges are a bit more readily available than say Waimana Valley.Dr Elizabeth Kerekere: Does he stand by his statement that I'm committed to ensuring that we continue to partner with hapū and iwi to deliver more affordable housing for Māori." and if so does this include partnering with hapū to deliver housing for mothers like Wilhelmina Waitiri Hiakita-Butler Gemma Hiakita and Torerenui-A-Rua Te Pau who were struggling to provide secure housing for their whānau and two of whom lost deposits because Te Waimana Kaaku housing programme was stopped without notice?Hon PEENI HENARE: I continue to reiterate my support for Māori housing aspirations. I want to draw the member's attention to a particular initiative called Toitū Tairāwhiti which brings together hapū and iwi right across the Tairawhiti to make sure that we can meet their housing aspirations. In fact there will be even further exciting announcements with respect to that partnership in the very near future. I also want to point out to the member and this House that through Wai 2570 stage one hearing into Māori housing it was made quite clear that Māori aren't starting at the same pace and at the same time as every other sector in this country. In fact it shows quite the inequities that have plagued Māori housing aspiration for many years. This Government has stood up to that challenge made a commitment committed dollars and are getting on with the mahi. There is lots more mahi to do. This isn't a perfect system but I am still committed to making sure that Māori housing aspirations continue to be met.Dr Elizabeth Kerekere: Will he instruct relevant Government agencies to reconsider the approach to supporting Te Waimana Kaaku housing programme so that these whānau and others can have secure local housing provided by their own hapū?Hon PEENI HENARE: I make the commitment to that member and to the members listening in this House that I'm more than happy to meet with Waimana Kaaku to continue to discuss their housing aspirations. But I do want to be very clear: we are committed to Māori housing aspiration. Our investment has made it clear the way that we have continued to work makes it clear and what I've asked my officials to do is look at the interactions that have all of a sudden created this perception that this has been stopped—what's been told to me by the advisers is actually at no point in time have they seen any withdrawal of support for this matter which makes my commitment to meet with the whānau even more solid in the House today sir.Dr Elizabeth Kerekere: Does he agree that the Crown has an ongoing obligation to uphold the tino rangatiratanga of hapū over kāinga and if so how is the Crown upholding this obligation with respect to Te Waimana?Hon PEENI HENARE: Yes we are. I want to present this particular document to you Mr Speaker and to the House called He Tapuae which works with Tuhoe to look towards how we can support their housing aspirations. What was made clear through this particular engagement is it was multi-Government agencies working alongside Tuhoe to realise those aspirations. In that particular document it goes on to say that as chosen by the He Tapuae agreement that there are commitments in Tāneatua Te Umuroa Marae Ruatāhuna; Ōpūtao Marae Ruatāhuna; Papakāinga Marae Ruatoki; Te Tōtara Marae Ruatoki. So yes the commitment is there to support Māori housing aspirations. And I'll reiterate the point I made in the number of questions that have already been asked: my commitment is there and I'm happy to meet with them."