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A Bay of Plenty Maori trust says it's still keen to buy some of the 1100 state houses the government is selling in Tauranga.
Wairarapa's Trust House, one of the country's biggest suppliers of community-based housing, has pulled out of the bid, and Labour's housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says that means billions of dollars of public assets are destined to go into overseas hands.
But Victoria Kingi of Mangatawa Papamoa Block says trusts representing Nga Potiki a Tamapahore and Tapuika are still keen to get hold of the houses, despite losing a partner.
Mangatawa Papamoa last weekend opened stage three of its papakainga development, a dozen rental whanau houses.
She says the area's trusts can't build fast enough to meet demand, which is why they have their eye on state housing stock.
"Our consortium has joined with another consortium and we are through to the next phase with two other competing bidders. We are the local component of our consortium. We have always had another tenancy manager involved, so we are quite comfortable with where things are going," Ms Kingi says.
The new homes at Papamoa sit alongside 16 kaumatua units, and the next stage will be to build eight more houses for sale to suitable buyers.
FULL INTERVIEW: VICTORIA KINGI
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