May 26, 2017
Maori housing plan positive signal
A small grant to look at ways to enable Maori home ownership is being hailed as a significant step towards tackling a major problem.
The money is included in the Budget along with continued support to the Maori Housing Network run by Te Puni Kokiri.
Ella Henry who teaches Maori development at the Auckland University of Technology, says it’s an election year budget with incentives in areas like housing, health and tax breaks for those on low incomes.
She says during the past nine years of National government the Maori home ownership rate has plummeted which has a direct impact on health and well being.
IN: And when we don’t have secure home ownership or a secure place to live there are other flow on negative impacts on the rest of the whanau, like health, like work, like mental wellbeing, and so a commitment to improving Maori home ownership is something that the Maori Party can announce that they have made some gains in this budget", says Mrs Henry.
Ella says the Budget is playing catch-up after years on under-spending in critical areas.
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