July 26, 2013
Ngāti Whatua unveil building plans
There is optimism within Ngāti Whatua ō Orakei as the hapū’s board unveils plans for a $24 million housing and apartment development on the Kupe St ridge near the marae.
Ngarimu Blair, a member of the tribe’s Whai Rawa commercial board, says it was standing room only at a hui to discuss the plan, with many young families now seeing a future for their families in the papakainga.
The land is now in customary title, and the mortgages could be secured against other tribal assets to overcome the banks’ reluctance to lend on multiply-owned land.
Mr Blair says Ngāti Whatua has been looking at some of the better intensive developments around the city, and it is also looking for design concepts from its own culture.
"The way our ancestors designed themselves into Maungakiekie and Maungawhau for example, all of those design principles are there that our tupuna have taught us, they're amongst our people, and really it's just finding the right bunch of architects to be able to draw that out of our people and put it on to paper and then build it," he says.
There have been discussions with council about fast tracking consents, and construction of the first 25 houses and units could start in summer.
Whakatuuria ngā whare
He mahere nui tā Ngāti Whātua arā, he whakatū i ngā whare whitu tekau mā rima kei runga i tō rātou whenua i Takaparawhau.
Rua tekau mā whā miriona tāra te utu ō tēnei mahere hao nui, hai tā Ngarimu Blair ō te poari ō te iwi, i whakatakotoria te mahere nei ki mua i te iwi i te Rātapu.
Ka mutu ko te hiahia kia tautokohia ngā whānau ki te kuhu atu ki ō rātou ake kāinga.
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