17 December 2021 Aroha Treacher reported Smith whānau successful in homeowneship at Waingākau.

9 homes at the Waingākau Housing Development in Flaxmere, Hastings are in line to have solar panels installed thanks to MBIE’s new Renewable Energy Fund for Māori housing. For the residents in those households, this means access to clean and cheap power, which can leas to warmer, healthier homes and lower energy bills.

The supply of much needed homes in Flaxmere’s Waingākau Village is about to accelarate after Provincial Growth Fund support was announced last week. “This allows us to bring forward the development of roads and infrastructure to the village enabling up to 50 whānau to realise their aspirations of homeownership sooner,” said Mike Paku,

Ngāti Kahungunu’s Taiwhenua o Heretaunga sees its housing development in Flaxmere is a way to address not just housing need but the health and social problems that afflict the community.

A village development in Flaxmere will go ahead, subject to several conditions.