Minister congratulates Ākarana Sarah whānau on housing

Minister for Māori Development and Associate Minister of Housing Hon Nanaia Mahuta congratulated whānau from Bridge Pa, near Hastings for their vision of building homes on their ancestral land.

Te Puni Kōkiri invested $376,661 towards infrastructure costs to assist the Ākarana Sarah Whānau Trust with their seven home papakāinga development near Bridge Pa, Hastings.

“Their vision is to live in a whānau oriented community, on ancestral land, in a community that supports Māori achievement through sustainable healthy living and education,” says Nanaia Mahuta.

The papakāinga needed power and telecommunication services and an internal roadway to connect the homes. Whānau will own and build their own homes and are now well on the way to achieving this vision.

“Papakāinga combine the space where identity, whakapapa and whenua come together and provide opportunities for whānau to live as a community according to kaupapa Māori, ensuring knowledge and whakapapa are passed on to the next generation.

”A strong and thriving cultural identity is essential to sustainable social and economic development within whānau and communities,” said Nanaia Mahuta.

The whānau will celebrate the completion of the papakāinga and their new internal roadway Nukunoa Lane with an official opening and blessing today.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1904/S00208.htm