July 20, 2015
Show homes for urban papakainga
Te Runanga o Kirikiriroa’s $19 million dollar affordable housing development in Hamilton is picking up steam, with the first two show homes due to open in September.
Chief executive Mere Balzer says the land for Wairere Village was bought in a back to back deal with Waikato Tainui and says the runanga is looking for interest from iwi members as well as mata waka.
The development will include 62 affordably-priced two, three or four bedroom houses.
Ms Balzer says it is being designed as a series of villages that will be safe for children and include shared areas including gardens.
"We want an environment where people talk and care about each other and look after each other’s kids and those sorts of things so there are a number of things we have taken out of what would be a papakainga and tried to include in an urban situation," she says.
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