Waimarama Papakāinga

Who developed it?

• The development was led by Waimarama 3A12C Incorporation, which is a Maori land organisation responsible for Maori land blocks in Waimarama on behalf of 41 shareholders.
• The incorporation had been working to develop this papakainga for nine years.
• A1 Homes was the construction team, whilst Sheeran Associates acted as the project manager.

Sources: HDC property map (Waimarama), HDC property information (Waimarama)

Who owned the land?

The land was owned by Waimarama 3A12C Incorporation.

Sources: HDC property map (Waimarama), HDC property information (Waimarama)

How many homes?

• The papakainga consists of five homes under its first stage. They offer three affordable three-bedroom rental homes and two homeownership properties.
• They consented to build 20 homes but decided to stage the development progress.

What was the purpose?

• To provide affordable, quality housing for local whanau, allowing them to return to and remain connected with their whenua.
• Te Puni Kokiri describes the project as "papakainga is more than just the houses, its also about whenua and whanau returning to the land".
• The location of the papakainga was also important, as it is opposite the Waimarama marae, strengthening the connection among the housing, marae, and whenua.

What planning was required?

• They had to obtain a resource consent from the Hastings District Council and were approved to build a 20-home papakainga.
• They also undertook a project feasibility and needs analysis, which tested whether the project was viable, whether the site was suitable, which whanau had the greatest housing need, whether the whanau could obtain financing for the homes, and what the development would cost.
• The development also required approval from their shareholders to proceed.
• They also required a building consent in accordance with the Papakainga guide for the time it was built.
• Infrastructure planning was also necessary, as it aligns with Hastings District Council's papakainga guide.

What funding was required?

• They received funding through the Maori Housing Network, Te Puni Kokiri, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
• $315,066 was approved by Te Puni Kokiri housing appropriations through the Maori Housing Network, effective from 2015/16.
• The Incorporation also helped fund the project, deliberately withholding dividends from shareholders so they could contribute cash, supplemented by loan finance, to the development.

Sources: Te Puni Kokiri MHN 2015/16 approvals list (PDF)

What infrastructure was required?

• The Hastings District Council’s Papakainga guide identifies the types of infrastructure that need to be addressed before development: water supply, power, roading/access, stormwater, and wastewater. Te Puni Kokiri helped fund the infrastructure support. There are also specific performance standards that must be met within the Hastings District Plan such as a minimum of 80m2 of outdoor living, parking space, service court and a domestic sewage treatment system if it is applicable.
• In recent years, Hastings District Council records provide additional consent for infrastructure requirements in Waimarama. In 2024, the Waimarama Māori Committee obtained consent for a renovation of the wharenui, seismic upgrade, recladding, replacement deck, and new services. The recorded value was one million dollars. Then, in 2025, they requested wastewater treatment plant consent for $194,267. These aren’t the papakainga, but because they are located near each other, they provide a better understanding of what the papakainga would have required.

Sources: District plan rules for papakāinga (HDC ePlan)

What barriers appeared?

The project itself took nine years before the first stage was completed. The incorporation had to complete a detailed feasibility and needs analysis to determine how it could contribute financially. Access to finance was another barrier, as they would have had to wait for whanau to have sufficient borrowing capacity to obtain Kainga Whenua loans. They had to stage the development and deliberately adopted a cautious staged approach. They developed their papakainga using a planning system that previously posed many barriers to building one.

What helped the project succeed?

• They had strong Maori governance, with the project led by Waimarama 3A12C, and a long period working towards the development.
• Government support consisting of Te Puni Kokiri, MBIE, Housing New Zealand, Hastings District Council and Kiwibank.
• They split their housing models with affordable renting and home ownership, which allowed different Whanau to occupy the homes and their different circumstances to be accommodated
• The staged development allowed them to avoid taking on a large financial risk by building all 20 houses at once.
• A1 Homes had already worked with Whanau and helped construct another papakainga for the Aorangi Maori Trust Board, which led the incorporation to choose them.

What could have shortened the process?

To shorten the process, having a clearer consent pathway is essential, as Hastings District Council itself acknowledges that its earlier processes made it challenging for Papakainga to succeed. Earlier feasibility and funding certainty, as the project required extensive analysis before the development could proceed, and access to more funding could have reduced the time they spent developing the business case. With better infrastructure support, as this is one of the first parts of a project, it can reduce its risk. TPK identifies that it is one of the most significant barriers to Maori housing developments. Having more streamlined planning rules, now relevant with the new NES-P provisions, to make the construction of a papakainga easier for whanau.

Sources: Te Puni Kokiri: papakainga development made easier