April 20, 2018
Papakainga for Edgecumbe refugees
Te Ururoa’s Flavell’s service as Maori development minister in helping people after the Edgecumbe flood is being marked in a papakainga built to relocate some of the whanau who lost their houses.
The five-home development alongside Kokohinau Marae in Te Teko opens today.
Mr Flavell says one of the challenges was finding accommodation nearby, and Te Pahipoto hapu offered land for the rental housing.
A street running through what could eventually be a 40-home village was named Te Ara a Te Ururoa Flavell.
"Yes it’s about the marae who gave the land but it also about those who lost their houses and want to stay around to work in Edgecumbeor thereabouts. If they move off the housing becomes available for the marae to bring back people to Te Teko so it's a win win all around," Mr Flavell says,'
His role was to line up some of the funding needed for the project – and he doesn’t want the new Government taking all the credit.
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