Te Tiriti o Waitangi and housing in Aotearoa

Abstract

Aotearoa New Zealand's current housing shortage continues to be an ongoing challenge for Indigenous Māori and the Crown. This paper briefly summarises the author's master's research project 'He Rautaki Whakatauria Whare o Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Treaty Anchored Housing Strategies,' which explored what a Te Tiriti-anchored housing strategy might look like for Aotearoa. This includes a review of current housing and economic policy settings in Aotearoa. Specifically, it uses a treaty framework that consists of the principles and articles as articulated in legal and policy-making settings to analyse and assess the impact of the housing crisis on the Māori community. The key findings from this research highlight four critical areas of concern; 1) Māori housing: Many Māori are living in dire conditions 2) Te Tiriti o Waitangi: the Crown breaches Te Tiriti o Waitangi; 3) Housing Policy: mainstream housing policies do not meet the diverse and distinctive needs of Māori and 4) Economic settings: current settings do not enable opportunities for Māori housing especially on whenua Māori (Māori land).