Maori housing groups are combining to offer treaty settlement land for housing developments in Papamoa and Te Puke, the Tauranga Moana Te Puke Housing Consortium have announced today.

The consortium has land available in Tauranga and Te Puke for housing, including new affordable home ownership and rental options, as part of its bid in the Social Housing Reform Programme for Tauranga.

Consortium spokesperson Victoria Kingi. Photo: File.

The consortium includes Tapuika Iwi Authority, Nga Potiki a Tamapahore Trust and Nga Hapu o Ngati Ranginui Settlement Trust.

'Access to land supply is something our Consortium of local treaty settlement tribes can offer that no other consortium can offer,” says consortium spokesperson Victoria Kingi.

'We each bring unique opportunities through our Treaty settlements that we are willing to share with the wider sub region.”

Te Puke's Tapuiki Iwi Authority is willing to look at housing options on around 100 acres of treaty settlement land near Te Puke.

'We can see the hardship families are operating under, and we want to make a positive difference through quality affordable housing,” says Tapuika Iwi Authority spokesperson Pia Callaghan.

Nga Potiki a Tamapahore Trust Chairman Colin Reeder says Nga Potiki has access to approximately 400 acres of treaty settlement land in Papamoa.

'We commence construction of a large housing project in Papamoa in late 2016, and will set aside 30 per cent of that for quality affordable housing,” says Colin.

'It is a key strategy to attain better outcomes in housing, health, education and employment across the community.”

The consortium recently signed a Heads of Agreement with Trust House Masterton to provide tenancy management for the consortium's housing.

Trust House recently visited with the consortium in Tauranga to look at the land available and the state of the current housing stock.

The Iwi Consortium is participating in the Social Housing Reform Programme for Tauranga that could see about 1200 Housing New Zealand properties transferred to an approved community housing provider.

Individually, the iwi have already developed social housing in the Tauranga area and have formed partnerships with the Tauranga Polytechnic to develop trades and other commercial and professional skills for young Maori

The consortium is currently progressing through the initial stages of the bidding process for the transfer of social housing in Tauranga.

The government is due to issue its call for expressions of interest in the Social Housing Reform Programme by the end of this month.