13 Mar 2012

Maori-Crown partnership builds homes for elders

9:00 am on 13 March 2012

A group of Waiariki elders has been celebrating the opening of new homes for kaumatua over the weekend - constructed through co-operation between Maori and the Crown.

The cedar-clad houses have been built on Maori land, or papakainga, in Tauranga in conjunction with a Housing New Zealand fund called the Maori Demonstration Partnership.

The project has been a vision of Mangatawa Papamoa Blocks Incorporated for more than 20 years.

A trustee of the incorporation, Victoria Kingi, says elders' spirits have been lifted, and they are very happy to be in their new homes.