July 19, 2019
Kaingaroa revamp job for Māori Housing Network
Te Puni Kōkiri chief executive Michelle Hippolite says a $2.4 million investment in Kaingaroa Village should lead to a healthier and more resilient community.
It's the sixth project under the Māori Housing Network community development programme, which is for communities with complex problems.
Ms Hippolite says when the town was developed to house the labour force for the Kaingaroa Forest, it wasn't expected to be permanent, but more than 50 years on the people, and the houses are still there.
The grant will be used for house repairs and to revitalise essential community facilities, including upgrading an oxidation pond so it can cope with future papakainga development.
"We see this as another means to bring a community together, to support the work they have been doing among themselves anyway. Yes, they call Kaingaroa home, and to them Kaingaroa is a happy place to be," Ms Hippolite says.
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