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A papakainga at the top of the South Island is seen as the first step towards a Māori renaissance in the area.
Download AudioA papakainga at the top of the South Island is seen as the first step towards a Māori renaissance in the area.
The $15-million dollar, 20 home development in at Te Awhina Marae in Motueka is set to get its first tenants in early October.
Spokesperson Barney Thomas says the marae wanted to both provide housing and revitalise the iwi.
“So these people that are our future tenants, they will be of our whakapapa, but they will also have a criteria of contribution back to the marae – and back to their people,” he says.
Mr Thomas says many Maori who had to move out of the district will now have a chance to come home.
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