How Two Bay Of Plenty Trusts Are Paving The Path To Homeownership For Māori Whānau
On ancestral whenua (land) at Ōwhata in Rotorua, a unique development is turning the tide on homeownership for Māori.
Led by Ōwhata 2B and Ōwhata 7 Ahuwhenua Trusts, operating under the name Ōwhata Kōhanga Rākau (OKR), a new initiative is bringing affordable and well-designed housing to whānau of Ngati Te Roro o Te Rangi and the wider community.
“Home ownership sits at 63% on average in Rotorua. For Māori, it’s significantly less – just 27%,” says Jason Rogers, Chairperson of Ōwhata 2B&7 Ahuwhenua Trusts.
“That has a significant impact on future wellbeing, retirement assets, and inheritance. A lot of our people had given up on owning a home.”
Now, they don’t have to.
Through a model known as Progressive Home Ownership (PHO), OKR operates a shared ownership offering designed for those who don’t qualify for a traditional mortgage.
Under the arrangement, buyers initially purchase a share of a home (usually starting at 75%) with OKR retaining the remaining 25%. Over time, the family buys out OKR’s share, eventually becoming full owners.
“Our contribution ranges from $175,000 to $235,000, which enables families to carry a much lower mortgage and make affordable monthly repayments,” Jason explains.
“In Auckland, we’ve seen shared ownership homes being fully purchased in six to eight years.”
In 2021, the Trusts made the bold decision to transform 3.5 hectares of land previously used as a pine seeding nursery into a vibrant, thriving community of 93 homes.
With the support of funding from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, construction began in early 2024 and now the first families have moved into their new homes.
“OKR is one of a number of Māori-led initiatives making real headway in the affordable housing space,” says Jason.
“And the development isn’t stopping in Ōwhata either. A second site is available in Te Puke (Te Mania), bringing the total number of shared ownership homes across both locations to 37.”
Whilst the Te Puke development is on freehold land, the Ōwhata homes are on ancestral land, which is leased through a unique 52-year prepaid lease, and structured with full banking and legal support from partners like ANZ, Kiwibank and Westpac.
“This model is ground-breaking. It paves the way for other Māori trusts to unlock their land for housing too,” says Jason.
“It hasn’t been easy, though. It’s taken huge investment and innovative thinking to make it work.”
Changing the lives of whānau
What has been most rewarding for Jason is seeing how many whānau have been pleasantly surprised to learn they actually qualify.
“One of the earlier purchasers of the shared ownership houses was just walking past our site one day and saw the sign. They came to one of our open days, and when they learned about the shared ownership model, they realised they could actually afford to buy.
“Their mortgage payments are now less than what she was paying in rent.”
Jason explains that all applicants go through a transparent, supportive process, including financial assessments and credit checks.
The OKR team supports whānau to complete courses in budgeting, saving, and financial literacy, helping ensure families are well-prepared for home ownership.
“We hold their hand throughout the journey,” says Jason; “And they get to choose the carpets, the bench tops, the door handles, just like any other homeowner.”
Priority is given to whānau with whakapapa to the Ōwhata whenua and hapu including Ngāti Te Roro o Te Rangi and Ngāti Whakaue. But once that process is complete, any remaining homes are opened to eligible applicants from the wider community.
One family that has been thrilled to buy their first home through the OKR project is Jay Kapene, his wife Seany and their three children.
“We had been searching for a home for quite some time, and like most people, we’d built up our savings to a point where we could finally start looking,” says Jay.
“But then a couple of years ago, the market shifted a bit more and from then on, we never quite had enough to get the kind of home we wanted.”
By chance, Seany came across an article about OKR and saw that it was aimed at helping people that included those who whakapapa to Ngāti Whakaue. At the time, Jay didn’t know it but soon after discovered the Ngāti Whakaue connection through a historian he met through his son’s kohanga.
“My Nan, who is nearly 90, had always told us we were linked to Ngāti Whakaue, but a big chunk of our whakapapa was missing, which she had been hunting for her whole life. It was quite a special moment for us to learn of that connection, and to let her know that we had found our links,” says Jay.
“A week after that, we thought why not contact OKR, because the homes look really nice. They got back to us straight away to confirm we fit the criteria and that they were keen to help get us into our first home.”
The assistance Jay and Seany received with covering 20% of the home loan was the bridge to home ownership they needed to realise their dream, and acknowledge the personal support and guidance they received from Danielle Rickard and the OKR team throughout the process.
“The real dream for us is that now we’re looking at a new build home, which we never thought that we could ever achieve in our wildest dreams. The fact that we’re also investing into a community there, is what we love the most about it,” he says.
With their new home under construction and due to be completed before Christmas, Jay and Seany are eagerly anticipating rejoining a space that Jay says feels like the “old school” community that he grew up in.
“It’s been a beautiful link for us to be able to connect back to the marae and the whenua. Because I grew up in the Horowhenua, Rotorua has been my holiday home, but now it feels like my actual home.”
Reconnecting people to place
Jason says this is more than building homes, it’s about reconnecting people to their whenua, providing intergenerational security, and restoring a sense of mana and belonging.
“If you’re a first-home buyer, have a 5% deposit made up of KiwiSaver and savings, and are in full-time employment, home ownership might be closer than you think. Even if you’re unsure whether you meet all the criteria, I’d encourage you to reach out. You could be pleasantly surprised,” he says.
“This initiative proves that with the right approach, affordable housing is possible, even in today’s tough market. We’re also really excited that it has created a sort of ‘blueprint’ for other Māori land trusts to follow. And we hope they do.”
Interview and feature by Erin Harrison.
