October 21, 2015
Trusts prepare for giant housing bid
Tauranga housing advocate Victoria Kingi says an alliance between Tauranga Moana & Te Puke Housing Consortium and the Masterton Trust House Community Enterprise gives the organisations the scale needed to consider taking on state houses.
The consortium, which includes Nga Potiki a Tamapahore Trust, Tapuika Iwi Authority and Nga Hapu o Ngati Ranginui Settlement Trust, has experience building kaumatua flats and affordable homes on Maori-owned land.
Trust House took over 400 state houses in the Wairarapa a decade ago and has continued to grow its portfolio, making it one of the most experienced operators n the social housing space.
Ms Kingi says there were no partners in the Bay of Plenty capable of taking part in the government’s experiment to create a non-government social housing sector.
"You have to be ready to receive 12 houses in one transaction. That can create some difficulty so we thought it would be prudent to extend our reach and that's what led us to Trust House," she says.
Victoria Kingi says the iwi consortium will be able to offer wrap around services to tenants.
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