Kāinga Whenua

Kāinga Whenua — home ownership on Māori land

Tēnā koutou e te iwi. The Kāinga Whenua loan scheme is an initiative between Kiwibank and Kāinga Ora to help Māori achieve home ownership on papakāinga.

The name Kāinga Whenua combines the concepts of home or homestead (kāinga) and connection to ancestral Maori owned lands (whenua/ahikaa).

Kāinga Whenua supports ahikaa and haukāinga to help address whānau papakāinga housing aspirations and can be used to build, buy, renovate, repair or relocate a house on to your whenua Māori.

How it works

• If you’re applying as an individual, you have to have a right to live on multiple-owned Māori land (ie you hold a licence to occupy)
• A Kāinga Whenua loan is only secured against the house, not against the house and land as is usually the case with home loans
• You may be able to borrow up to $200,000 with no deposit
• The maximum loan amount is $500,000
• Kiwibank’s standard lending criteria apply.
• There is a Lenders' Mortgage Insurance fee payable to Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities to insure your Kāinga Whenua loan. The fee is 0.50% of the loan amount and can be added to the loan.

What are the steps I need to take?

For individuals

• See the Kāinga Ora website for eligibility requirements
• Apply for conditional approval
• Seek the support of the owners for your occupation on the block
• Confirm home design/construction
• Seek final loan approval from Kiwibank.

For Māori land trusts

The first step is to fill out a Registration of Interest form. You’ll need to provide a copy of the trust’s most recent audited accounts and details of your housing project. The form will be reviewed by Kāinga Ora, the Māori Housing Unit (MBIE) and Kiwibank.

Once you’re successfully through this review, you can begin the home loan application process.

See more information about Kāinga Whenua Loans for Maori land trusts or call 0508 935 266.