Urban Intergenerational Kāinga Innovations (UIKI) "UIKI explores the potential of our existing landholdings that are often overlooked. It focuses on using cultural design intelligence to maximise urban whānau wellbeing."

– Rau Hoskins, 2023

About this programme

UIKI seeks to develop approaches that support intergenerational housing aspirations and the diverse needs of whānau, hapū, iwi and marae.

The UIKI programme, led by Dr Jenny Lee-Morgan,  is made up of three research projects:

  • Marae ki te Kāinga. This project investigates the benefits of the Manaaki Tangata programme at Te Puea Memorial Marae. Began by Rihi Te Nana alongside Marae-based researcher Whitiao Paul, this project captures the on-gong work of the Marae that included the initiation of the WAI 2750 Claim and the impact Manaaki Tangata to support sustained tenancies and whānau wellbeing.
  • Rangatahi ki te kāinga.   This project, led by Jackie Paul and Maia Ratana, explored the realities and aspirations of rangatahi in relation to kāinga, and how rangatahi can be best supported to navigate pathways towards affordable, safe and secure homes in Tāmaki Makaurau.  The whakatauki ‘he tātai whetu ki te rangi, he rangatahi ki te kāinga’, chosen for this project encourages us to recognise the importance and potential of rangatahi. It calls us to nurture and guide our young people in the home and our communities, as they will become leaders who, just like stars, will guide and inspire us in the future.
  • Te Whare Kāhui. Led by Rau Hoskins, this one-year project focussed on the design and delivery of affordable, culturally responsive marae-based housing solutions.  In particular, marae-based whare kāhui (tiny homes) designs were developed as a way to provide high quality, moderate cost, emergency, transitional and long-term housing solutions for whānau Māori.

Podcast Episodes

Episode 1: Papakaainga - Pania Newton

This episode features Pania Newton, who is a member of the research team. Pania is well known for spearheading the occupation and reclamation of Ihumaatao where she has lived her whole life. She will be discussing how she bought back a piece of her ancestral land within her papakaainga and is now designing and building affordable homes for her wider whānau.

Episode 2: Renting/Flatting - William Hatton

This episode features William Hatton, who will be talking to us about what it’s like to live in an apartment in Tamaki Makaurau. William moved away from his whānau in Kahungunu to pursue higher education and better job opportunities and now rents with his cousin. He shares his housing experiences, his mahi in landscape architecture, and how he creates a home away from home.

Episode 3: Youth Homelessness - Mahera Maihi

This episode features Māhera Maihi, the founder of Mā te Huruhuru, a kaupapa Māori organisation that provides services and programmes for young people in South Auckland. She will be talking about her real-life experiences that led her to start Mā te Huruhuru and the work she now does supporting rangatahi, in particular those who are experiencing homelessness.

Episode 4: Kiwibuild Homeowner - Kaylib Heke

This episode features Kaylib Heke and will discuss his experience of buying a home through the Kiwibuild scheme. Khalib shares his housing journey and the process he and his partner persevered to be able to become first home buyers. He takes us through the highs and lows and shares some advice for those who are looking to buy a home in the future.

Episode 5: Housing Financial Advice - Inez White

This episode features Ines White who is a specialist in Māori land and homeownership. She is the creator of Whatukāinga; a program that supports first home buyers and is here to share financial advice for those wanting to buy their own home. She also tells us a little bit about her own housing experiences and how she came to be so knowledgeable about homeownership.

Episode 6: Intergenerational living - Hanna-Marie Monga

This episode features one of our own team, Hanna-Marie Monga, who will be speaking about what it’s like to grow up and live in an intergenerational homestead, in Tāmaki Makaurau. She takes us through some of the advantages and expectations associated with living with her wider whānau and she shares some of her own experiences pursuing home ownership.

Episode 7: Shared Equity - Raniera Pene

This episode features Raniera Pene who is passionate about improving social and economic well-being of Maori, as well as inspiring whanau to pursue their definition of Rangatiratanga and Mana Motuhaketanga. Raniera will be discussing his experience of buying a house through shared equity. He talks about the struggles he encounters on his journey to home ownership and the shared equity scheme that helped him reach his goal.

Episode 8: Proprietor - Joanne Gallagher

This episode features Joanne Gallagher who is both a renter and a homeowner. Jo and her partner live with their blended whānau in a rental home that suits their needs, whilst also owning another home that they rent out to others. She shares with us why she doesn’t live in the house she owns, her journey to homeownership, and what it is like being a landlord in Tamaki Makaurau.

Episode 9: Housing Policy - Jacqueline Paul

This episode features Jacqueline Paul, a researcher on this project, who talks us through the ins and outs of Housing Policy. She shares a bit about her own housing aspirations and her mahi as an advocate for ensuring rangatahi have safe, secure and affordable housing. Jackie focuses on the need for good policy and the complexities of working and navigating within government.

Episode 10: Innovative Housing Solutions - Maia Ratana

This episode features Maia Ratana, a member of our team, who lives in a tiny house in Northland. She talks to us about tiny living and what led her to live in her in-law’s backyard, despite having owned a home in Tāmaki Makaurau. Maia gets us thinking about innovative housing solutions, our impact on the environment and our long term housing goals and needs.

Research Aim

The aim of the UIKI research programme is to investigate the potential of kāinga innovations to support intergenerational Māori housing aspirations and the diverse needs of whānau, hapū, iwi and marae in Tāmaki Makaurau. Ultimately, our research is intended to improve access to housing for whānau.

He Whare Mō Wai? Podcast

When COVID – 19 hit Aotearoa forcing a national lockdown in February 2020, the MOKO research had just started out. This was fortunate for MOKO to be able to observe first – hand, the response and approach by each of the five marae to the needs of their whānau and local communities during lockdown. Through the adversity of COVID, marae opened their doors and provided an extraordin ary service to whole communities.

A pikitia (picture) series was commissioned to tell the important story of each marae’s interaction with their communities during the pandemic. The imagery, symbolism and a whakatauki/whakatauāki (proverb) or statement, captures a snapshot of each marae and their activity in the pandemic of 2020/21.

All six marae were stretched to host different services on site, to become food outlets and health contact points. They worked more collaboratively with Government and other c ommunity agencies and redeployed their workforce to frontline essential worker duties.

This Pikitia Exhibition is the voice of the six marae. Four of the six marae are located in Mangere. It is a privilege that Pūrangakura has been able to showcase the am azing community contribution of these marae and their whanaunga marae from Manurewa and Papakura at a South Auckland site, and with their local community at the Mangere Arts Centre.

Credit

This podcast is funded by Building Better Homes Towns and Cities, and Purangakura Maori Research Centre.

Executive Producers

Maia Ratana,
Hanna-Marie Monga,
Jacqueline Paul and
Pania Newton

Production Team

Rewi Heke,
Taiha Molyneux,
Tatsuya Sasaki,
Taoitekura Eruera and
Mana Wikaire-Lewis

Music Composer

Jesse Monga
Jesse’s Instagram
Jesse’s Spotify

Graphic designers

Rihana Te Nana
Jarryd Saifoloi

Our Research Team

The overall programme of work is led by Dr Jenny Lee-Morgan with project administrative support by Kate Lee. Each project has its own research teams and community partners.

The Marae ki te Kāinga research team is: Dr Cat Mitchell, Dr Jo Mane, with marae-based researcher Whitiao Paul (Te Puea Memorial Marae). Previously, Rihi Te Nana and Irene Farnham were also key members of this team.

Te Whare Kāhui research project was led by Rau Hoskins

and He tātai whetu ki te rangi, he rangatahi ki te kāinga research team included rangatahi researchers Jacqeline Paul, Maia Ratana, Hannah Monga and Pania Newton.

Research Partners

Research Funders