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March 30, 2023
Taranaki Whānui whānau need Mt Crawford housing
Gideon Porter
Posted On March 30, 2023
Proponents of a Māori housing development proposal for the former Mt Crawford prison site on Wellington’s Miramar Peninsula say it’s vital for whānau that it go ahead.
Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust is seeking fast-track consent to develop 700 dwellings including papa kāinga-style homes on the 13-hectare site, which it has the option to buy.
Chair Kara Puketapu-Dentice says it wants to provide urgently needed housing for whānau spread throughout the greater Wellington district.
“There are a whole number of whānau who are crammed into one home or are living in little cabins or living in garages – which is not ideal. What we want to do is to make sure that we future-proof this site for our uri, for our whānau, and that they know they can have a space here on their whenua,” he says.
Opponents to the proposal include other elements within Taranaki Whānui who want a more traditional papa kāinga, and local residents who claim a high-density development is inappropriate for the area.
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