Maraenui in Napier, one of the city's poorest suburbs, is in desperate need of new homes.
Maraenui is home to around 3,500 people, with nearly 60 percent identifying as Māori, where Napier as a whole sits at about 20 percent Māori. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
There are finally some new housing projects in the pipeline, including a state house development of 200 homes.
But locals do not want it to further rip apart the suburb.
Roopu-a-Iwi Trust supports local whānau and its office is in the heart of Maraenui, having been there for 17 years.
Chief executive Maureen Mua said about a decade ago, Housing New Zealand ripped down many houses.
"By demolishing just under 100 homes, they replaced it with 7 two-bedroom units."
Some of the them were removed because they were earthquake prone.
But there were also other problems.
"A lot of the homes at that stage too had both gas and power - so people were weighing up whether they would have hot water or they would have heating. People could only afford to have either gas or either power."
Roopu-a-Iwi Trust chief executive Maureen Mua say many people in Maraenui have ended up in motels, due to the lack of social housing. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
Removing the houses had a terrible effect.
"A lot of people, they were transitioned out of the suburb and of course there were no houses for them to go to, and what it's meant is that a lot more people have ended up in emergency housing, in motels."
Napier's social housing waitlist is continuing to climb - the latest figures show 801 households are waiting for a home - the highest on record in data going back 5 years.
Many of these people are living in motels.
Tu Tangata Maraenui is a local community group.
Its chair Barb Abbott said getting rid of the houses a decade ago had been bad for local businesses.
"On our shopping centre it was a huge effect and a lot of family felt that they were let down too because a lot of people were homeless - they were moved out of Maraenui. People do feel very very loyal to Maraenui and very proud to say they're from the 'nui."
Tu Tangata Maraenui chair Barb Abbott wants assurances that current tenants won't be moved away for good. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
Housing New Zealand - now called Kāinga Ora - has promised 200 new homes for the suburb.
Some will be built on vacant land, but some of homes may be removed and deconstructed.
Tenants have been told they may have to move away for the new development - but nothing has been confirmed, stirring up anxiety.
Although Abbot called the development "very exciting," she wanted assurances that the current tenants would not be moved away for good.
"It's a lot of elderly and people that have been here for ever, so that's one of our biggest concerns - we don't want them to be uplifted from there and taken to Hastings or other places.''
Napier City councillor Sally Crown shared similar views.
"It's just about making sure that there's reassurance for our community that disruption will be kept to a minimum in regards to whānau being moved around, and that whānau that have been in emergency accommodation who are from Maraenui, that they have priority to be able to return to their community," she said.
Kāinga Ora has been holding community information sessions around the neighbourhood.
The agency's community engagement and partnership manager for the Eastern North Island Dale Grant said the homes would be a mixture of two to five bedroom homes and some would have accessibility for those in need. He expected about 60 percent would be public housing and 40 percent would be offered to market.
He gave his assurance that Maraenui residents could return.
"All tenants, all whānau that are in our homes that will be relocated, do have the option to return to Maraenui, absolutely."
Iwi are playing a big part in developing the wider suburb, in some spaces working with Kāinga Ora to build some of their 200 homes.
K3 - Kahungunu Property - is looking to develop around 650 homes in a nearby project on the outskirts of the suburb.
K3 chief executive Aayden Clarke is in charge of building more than 600 homes in Maraenui, led by iwi Ngāti Kahungunu. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
Chief executive Aayden Clarke said it was called Te Orokohanga Hōu - a new beginning.
"All of the housing outcomes over the past few decades have been about us, but not by us. So K3 comes to the party by genuinely ensuring that we have the principles that are important to us come to the fore."
Aayden Clarke said these principles were about listening closely to mana whenua and tangata whenua about what they want in and out of the whare.
