Signing Away the Future – Housing Crisis on Te Tai o Poutini
As a Kaiwhakahaere of Te Hono o Ngā Waka, and in my role as a Justice of the Peace, I witness first-hand the scale of hardship our whānau are facing. Increasingly, I am asked to sign KiwiSaver withdrawal forms—not for the purchase of a first home, but simply so whānau can survive another week. The funds that were supposed to provide security for the future are being drained to cover today’s bills, leaving no pathway forward.
On the ground here in Te Tai o Poutini, the reality is stark and unrelenting.
Emergency housing is failing. Families are placed in motels for months on end, with no plan and no hope of moving into a safe, stable home. Tamariki are growing up surrounded by uncertainty, without the security of a place to belong. The constant moves, overcrowding, and lack of routine are taking a heavy toll on their wellbeing and their learning.
Rents are out of control. Whānau are handing over most of their paychecks just to keep a roof overhead. After rent, there is little left for food, power, petrol, or school costs. Choices no parent should have to make—like whether to heat the house or feed their children properly—are now daily realities. Many are left in cold, damp, overcrowded homes that make asthma, sickness, and hospital visits part of everyday life.
Home ownership is out of reach. For most families, the dream of owning a home has vanished completely. They have been shut out of the housing market, not just today but for the foreseeable future. The effect is intergenerational—children are growing up without the stability and pride that comes with home ownership, and parents are watching the chance of building equity and security for their whānau slip further away every year.
This is not only an economic crisis—it is also a cultural and intergenerational one. As Māori, we are in the midst of learning about both colonisation and decolonisation. On one hand, decolonisation is empowering us to reclaim reo, tikanga, mātauranga, and identity. On the other, learning the full truth of colonisation can be devastating. It forces us to face how land loss, displacement, systemic racism, and deliberate suppression of our reo and tikanga have created the inequities we live with today.
For many whānau, this knowledge lands heavily when they are already carrying the daily struggle of poverty and housing insecurity. It is retraumatising to learn that the struggles of today are not accidental—they are the direct result of generations of colonisation. Whānau are expected to heal from trauma while still living in unsafe homes, signing away their KiwiSaver for survival, and trying to raise tamariki in environments that strip away dignity and hope.
Our resilience is not in question. Our people are working hard, showing strength, and doing all they can to survive. But survival should not mean sacrificing the future. Each KiwiSaver withdrawal I sign is not just a document—it is another reminder of whānau forced to spend their future just to make it through the present.
The truth is simple: band-aid measures are no longer enough. Motel rooms and emergency fixes cannot replace real homes. Without systemic change, long-term housing solutions, and a commitment to equity for rural and Māori whānau, the crisis will only deepen.
What is needed is urgent, structural action: investment in affordable housing, stronger protections for renters, and pathways to home ownership that are realistic for ordinary whānau. Every family deserves the dignity of a safe, warm, stable home—not just for today, but for generations to come.
My call is simple: decision-makers must act now.
Central government must prioritise rural housing equity and Māori housing initiatives.
Local councils must stop deferring responsibility and invest in long-term housing infrastructure.
Iwi, hapū, and community providers must be resourced to lead solutions grounded in our values and whakapapa.
Without this, Te Tai o Poutini will continue to carry the unbearable weight of both immediate survival and intergenerational trauma. And I will keep signing the papers—witnessing futures being sacrificed because the system has failed them.