The Clay whānau’s whole life and daily routine is planned around getting their daughter India-Rose in and out of the house.
Kei te āhua o te tomohanga me te putanga a te tamāhine, India-Rose, te whakamaheretanga o tō te whānau Clay rangi, waihoki tō rātou ao.
“We have no freedom, we can’t just go out,” said mum Amy Clay.
“Kāore e herekore, kāore e oti i a mātou te puta kurī noa,” hei tā te māmā, Amy Clay.
READ MORE: Home at last: First residents of new papakāinga development move in Ōrakei kaumātua return home, decades after settlement was razed by the Crown Collective housing is our future: New report recommends a solution to the housing crisis
India-Rose, or Indie, is 10 years old and uses a wheelchair. But the Auckland family’s three-storey home does not give Indie independence and dignity, despite her parents’ years of advocating and trying to find a solution.
Kua 10 tau a India-Rose, a Indie, ā, ka noho ki te tūruwīra. Engari kāore herekore, e whai mana rānei a Indie ki te whare taumata 3 o te whānau ki Tāmaki Makaurau, ahakoa ngā tini tau whawhai ai ōna mātua kia whai ara e tika ana.
Every day, her dad Daniel (Ngāti Whātua) carries her up and down the stairs. But they try to limit this as much as possible because it’s already taking a physical toll on him.
Rangi mai, rangi atu, kawea ai ia i ngā arawhata e tōna pāpā, Daniel (Ngāti Whātua). Engari e ngana ana rātou kia whakatepe i tēnei, he taumaha nō te mahi ki tōna tinana.
“I do a bit of F45,” Daniel said. “But I can’t lift this wheelchair up the stairs. It impacts us on a daily basis.”
“Ka toro au ki F45,” hei tā Daniel. “Engari tē taea e au te kawe i tēnei tūruwīra i ngā arawhata. Pāngia ai mātou i ia rā.”
Indie loves horse riding, and her face lights up at mention of Lollipop, the horse she rides through Riding for the Disabled. But activities like this are limited when she doesn’t have the freedom to leave her home with ease.
E kaingākau ana a Indie ki te eke hōiho, ā, ka ora anō ia i te rongo i te ingoa o Lollipop, te hōiho ka ekea e ia i te Ekenga Whaikaha. Heoti anō, he tepenga tō ngā ngohe nei mēnā kāore i a ia te mana kia puta kau noa i tōna kāinga.
Send your tips, story ideas and comments to [email protected]
Tukuna ō kōrero, ō huatau, me ō tākupu ki [email protected]
Amy and Daniel built their home in Ōrākei 15 years ago when they secured ballot rights to the land via the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei iwi trust.
I waihanga a Amy rāua ko Daniel i tō rāua kāinga ki Ōrākei i ngā tau 15 ki muri, nō rāua i whai motika pōtitatanga ki te whenua rā te tiakitanga ā-iwi o Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
They got a mortgage to build the home through what was then Housing New Zealand, but are now unable to get an additional loan or extend the mortgage through what is now Kāinga Ora’s Kāinga Whenua loan scheme, which was introduced in 2010.
I whai mōketi rāua kia waihanga i te whare, i aua rā, i a Housing New Zealand, engari e kore e oti i a rāua te tono nama anō, te whakatōroa rānei i te mōketi rā tā Kāinga Ora kaupapa nama pūtea, Kāinga Whenua, i ahu mai i te 2010.
This is because their home is built on papakāinga, which is intergenerational communal housing on Māori ancestral land.
He noho nō tō rātou kāinga ki tētahi papakāinga, he nōhanga takitini ā-whakareanga ki ngā whenua Māori.
It’s difficult for them to get a loan from a commercial bank because although they own the home itself, they don’t technically own the land on which it stands – and can only on-sell the house to other iwi members.
Anō ngā taumahatanga kia whai nama i tētahi whare pūtea hoki, ahakoa nō rāua ake te whare, ehara i a rāua mārika te whenua e nōhia nei – ā, e oti noa i a rāua te hoko atu i te whare ki ngā tāngata nō te iwi.
“We appreciate [Housing New Zealand/Kāinga Ora] gave us a loan when we first built the house, but the problem is there is no way to refinance or extend that loan so we can modify the house to make it accessible for Indie,” said Daniel.
“E mihi ana i [tā Housing New Zealand/Kāinga Ora] nama pūtea ki a māua kia mātua waihanga i te whare, ko te raru kē ia, kāhore he ara e nama anō, e whakatōroa ake rānei i te nama e whakahōu ai i te whare kia whai āheinga mai a Indie,” tā Daniel.
Amy is studying and a busy mum looking after four children, while Daniel is the chief executive of another iwi investment trust.
Kei te ako a Amy, he māmā toritori e tiaki ana i ngā tamariki e whā, ā, ko Daniel te tumu o tētahi atu tiakitanga haumitanga ā-iwi.
“We have the means to repay a loan, we just can’t get one,” said Amy.
“E oti i a māua te utu i te nama, heoti tē oti i a māua te whai,” e ai ki a Amy.
The whānau feel they have exhausted all their options to finance the modifications.
Hei tā te whānau, kua pau katoa ngā kōwhiringa kia nama i ngā whakahōu.
Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled people could contribute $15,334 to housing modifications, which is a specific threshold that applies to modifications to enable a person to get into their home and move between levels, said Amanda Bleckmann, deputy chief executive of operational design and delivery.
E oti i a Whaikaha – Te Manatū mō te Whaikaha te hoatu i te $15,334 mō te whakahōunga whare, he tepenga tērā e hāngai ana ki ngā whakahōunga e wātea ai te tangata kia toro ki te kāinga, me ngā taumata katoa, te kī a Amanda Bleckmann, te tumu tuarua o te whakahoahoatanga me te whakaratonga.
Where the cost of the housing and/or access modifications exceeds the relevant threshold, an agreed maximum amount will be paid by the ministry as a contribution, subject to an income and cash asset test, Bleckmann said.
Mēnā te utunga whare, te utunga whakahōunga rānei e rahi ake ana i te tepenga, ka whakaae te manatū ki tētahi pūtea mōrahi hei tautoko, kei te āhua o te whakamātaunga ā-pūtea, ā-rawa, hei tā Bleckmann.
If a person had already received funding for housing modifications, they would generally be unable to receive further funding for the same or similar housing modifications in that property or in a new home, unless there are genuine and exceptional circumstances.
Mēnā te tangata i whai kē i te pūtea kia whakahōu i te kāinga, i te nuinga o te wā, kāore e whai pūtea anō mō ngā whakahōunga whare ōrite ki tērā whare, ki tētahi kāinga hōu rānei, māna he take e pono ana, e motuhake ana hoki.
However, the lift Indie requires that will give her independence to move around in her powered wheelchair costs $62,330, said Amy, and this amount doesn’t cover the cost of consent and building works.
Heoti, ka $62,330 te tūru whakarewa e matea nei e Indie kia herekore ki tōna tūruwīra, e ai ki a Amy, ā, e kore hoki tēnei utu e tae rā anō ki ngā utunga whakaaetanga, waihanganga rānei.
“In some circumstances moving to a more appropriate home may be considered if the person’s home is unsuitable,” said Bleckmann.
“He wā ōna, kua pai ake pea te hūnuku ki tētahi kāinga e hāngai ake ana, mēnā kāore e hāngai pai ana tō te tangata kāinga,” tā Bleckmann.
The whānau went to Ngāti Whātua for support and advocacy but the iwi couldn’t help them, with Daniel explaining that Ngāti Whātua doesn’t provide finance for papakāinga.
I tonoa a Ngāti Whātua e te whānau kia whai tautoko, kia hapahapai hoki, engari tē taea e te iwi, nā, i whakamahuki a Daniel, kāhore a Ngāti Whātua e tuku pūtea mō te papakāinga.
“Ngāti Whātua is not a bank,” he said. “What they provide is the land and their permission for us to live and build on here. The answer shouldn’t lie in iwi.”
“Ehara a Ngāti Whātua i te whare pūtea,” hei tāna. “Ko tā rātou he whakawātea mai i te whenua, he whakaae i tā mātou whakatū whare me te noho ki konei. Kaua e waiho mā te iwi e whakatika.”
Ngāti Whātua was approached for comment regarding the Kāinga Whenua loan scheme. A spokesperson said the iwi didn’t have a position on the government scheme, but acknowledged the challenges faced by the Clay whānau.
I tonoa a Ngāti Whātua kia whakapuaki kōrero mō te kaupapa nama pūtea, Kāinga Whenua. I mea mai tētahi māngai o te iwi, kāhore he kōrero ā rātou mō te kaupapa kāwanatanga, engari e rongo ana i ngā wero e pāngia nei te whānau Clay.
The Kāinga Whenua loan scheme is an initiative between Kāinga Ora and Kiwibank to help Māori achieve homeownership on their multiple-owned Māori land, said Jason Lovell, Kāinga Ora’s manager of homeownership products.
He kaupapa ā Kāinga Ora me Kiwibank te kaupapa nama pūtea, Kāinga Whenua, e oti ai i te Māori te whai kāinga ki ngā whenua ā-iwi, e ai ki a Jason Lovell, te kaiwhakahaere o ngā rawa hoko kāinga ki Kāinga Ora.
“Kāinga Ora is not a lender or financier,” he said. “Kiwibank, as the scheme’s participating lender, approves and provides the loan. Kāinga Ora underwrites the loan for Kiwibank.”
“Ehara a Kāinga Ora i tētahi kainama, kaituku pūtea rānei,” hei tāna. “Mā Kiwisaver, hei kaituku pūtea o te kaupapa, te nama e whakaae, e tuku hoki. Mā Kāinga Ora te nama e whakaoati mā Kiwibank.”
For a home to be eligible under the Kāinga Whenua loan scheme, it needs to be built on piles, and located on the mainland North or South Islands with reasonable road access, Lovell said.
E māraurau ai te kāinga, e ai ki te kaupapa nama, Kāinga Whenua, me whakatū ki ngā pou, me noho ki Te Ika a Māui, ki Te Waka o Māui rānei, ka mutu, me whai toronga ngāwari ki ngā huarahi, tā Lovell.
These design requirements are in place to ensure the home can be removed if required (in the case of a loan default), so the land is never at risk, he said. It means ownership of the home is separate to the land and the home can be regarded as personal property, which provides the necessary security to provide a loan against.
He herenga ēnei e taea tonutia ai te kawe atu i te whare mēnā e hiahia ana (mō te tūpono e kore e utua), e kore ai te whenua e tūraru, hei tāna. I tōna tikanga, ka noho wehe te mana ā-kāinga me te mana ā-whenua, ā, e kīia nei hoki he rawa matawhaiaro te kāinga, mā tēnā e tautiaki ai te nama pūtea.
“Based on the information provided we understand the homeowner’s house is built on a solid foundation. In this instance, the home would not be eligible under the Kāinga Whenua loan scheme as it does not meet the removable piles criteria,” Lovell said.
“Kei te āhua o te mōhiohio kua homai, hei tā mātou, e tū nei tō te tangata whare ki te tūāpapa pūmau. Nā konā, e kore e māraurau ki te kaupapa nama o Kāinga Whenua, he kore nō te tutuki i te paearu nekehanga ā-pou,” tā Lovell.
When asked if the Kāinga Whenua loan scheme policy should be updated for families who built their home on a foundation before the scheme was introduced, both Kāinga Ora and Housing Minister Megan Woods referred queries to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
I uia a Kāinga Ora me te Minita Kāinga Megan Woods mēnā me whakahōu i te kaupapa here mō Kāinga Whenua mā ngā whānau i whakatū whare ki te tūāpapa pūmau i mua i te ahunga mai o te kaupapa, ā, i kī mai kia tukuna ngā uiuinga ki Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga.
A spokesperson for the ministry said a review of the policy was underway.
Hei tā tētahi māngai mō te manatū, kua whakarewangia tētahi arotakenga o te kaupapahere.
Daniel said there was irony in the situation they were stuck in.
I kī a Daniel, he momo kōrori mō te kaupapa e mau nei rātou.
“With papakāinga housing, you are here for life,” he said. “As your family grows, your housing needs grow. If you’ve got an accessibility need, as we’ve got with lovely Indie here, even more so.”
“Me he whare papakāinga, kei konei koe mō ake tonu,” hei tāna. “Ka tupu ana tō whānau, me tupu hoki tō whare. Me he hiahiatanga āheinga, pēnei i konei, i a Indie, te pīwari, me tupu kē atu.”
In the meantime, the family are spending all their savings for the housing modifications.
Mō te wā nei, kei te whakapau te whānau i ngā penapenatanga katoa e whakahōu ai i te whare.
“It’s all our retirement money, it’s everything,” Amy said.
“Ko te pūtea tāoki, ko te katoa,” hei tā Amy.
“In a normal situation, you’d sell your house and you’d buy a bigger house or an accessible house, [but] we don’t want to do that,” said Daniel.
“Me he kaupapa māori noa, kua hokona atu tō whare, kua hokona tētahi mea nui ake, tētahi mea whai āheinga rānei, [engari] kāore mātou i te hiahia kia pēnā,” tā Daniel.
Amy added: “Why should our family have to leave the papakāinga in order to have an accessible home?”
I āpiti atu a Amy: “He aha tō mātou whānau e matea ai kia wehe i te papakāinga e whai āheinga ki te kāinga?”
Translation by Stuff Kaihautū Reo Māori Taurapa.
He whakamāoritanga nā te Kaihautū Reo Māori ki Puna, nā Taurapa.
