Kāinga Whenua Loans for individuals
The Kāinga Whenua Loan is an opportunity for Māori to build, purchase or relocate a house on multiply-owned Māori land.
Kāinga Ora and Kiwibank work together to deliver the Kāinga Whenua Loan, which is designed to support whānau Māori with their housing goals and remove some of the barriers to accessing finance.
Download the Kāinga Whenua information booklet [PDF, 1.6 MB]
Multiply-owned Māori land refers to Māori freehold land that has more than one owner. The land can be held in a trust by a Māori incorporation or by individual owners. An individual's level of ownership in the land is determined by their individual shares recorded by the Māori Land Court.
For regular home loans, banks take security over the house and the land. For a Kāinga Whenua Loan, Kāinga Ora take security over the house but not the land. This means in the unlikely event that there is a default on the Loan, the house could be removed but the land would still be protected.
To access the Loan, you must meet certain Kiwibank and Kāinga Ora requirements (see ‘Where do I start?’ below).
Everything you need to know is in the Kāinga Whenua Loan booklet [PDF, 1.6 MB].
With a Kāinga Whenua Loan, the bank can lend funds to buy or relocate a house, purchase an offsite manufactured house, or for renovations and maintenance on your current house (conditions apply).
For a full list of what you can use the Loan for see page 5 of the Kainga Whenua Loan booklet [PDF, 1.6 MB].
Navigating the Kāinga Whenua Loan
Building on multiply-owned Māori land can be a long and complicated process, and some of these steps don’t happen in sequence. If you have any questions about the application process, please get in touch with Kāinga Ora on 0800 801 601.
Where do I start?
To access a Kāinga Whenua Loan you must meet the affordability requirements of Kiwibank, and the security requirements and build requirements of Kāinga Ora.
You can find out everything you need to know in the Kāinga Whenua Loan booklet [PDF, 1.6 MB].
With a Kāinga Whenua Loan what you can borrow is down to what you can afford and what the plans for your house are. No deposit is required for a loan below $200,000, but there is a deposit requirement of 5% for every dollar borrowed above $200,000. For example, a $400,000 loan would require a deposit of $10,000.
Market interest rates will apply to your loan, and you’ll need to meet Kiwibank’s affordability requirements. You can find out more about these, and what you need to know before you apply on page 6-7 of the Kāinga Whenua Loan booklet [PDF, 1.6 MB].
A Kāinga Whenua Loan is secured only against the house, not against the house and land. Banks don’t often make these types of arrangements, so Kāinga Ora underwrites the Loan, guaranteeing it to Kiwibank.
To do this, Kāinga Ora requires a contract called a Kāinga Whenua Agreement, which is between the borrower, the owners of the land and Kāinga Ora.
This agreement ensures the landowners are comfortable with the borrowers occupying their whenua, and owning their new house, and it makes sure, in the unlikely event of default, that Kāinga Ora can enter the land and remove the house.
You can read more about this on page 8 of the Kāinga Whenua Loan booklet [PDF, 1.6 MB].
Under the Kāinga Whenua Loan Agreement, the borrower grants a security interest in the house to Kāinga Ora. To be able to do this, the house needs to be the borrower’s personal property and not part of the land. To be personal property, the house needs to be designed so it can be physically removed from the land. To ensure the house is removable, it must:
- be built on piles;
- be one storey (so it can fit on the back of a truck and under powerlines);
- be of at least 50 square metres;
- if water is supplied by water tank, the size of the tank must meet local body requirements;
- be located on the mainland North or South Islands; and
- have reasonable road access.
You can find out more about this on page 9 of the Kāinga Whenua Loan booklet [PDF, 1.6 MB].
Who to contact
To find out if you are eligible for a Kāinga Whenua Loan, call Kiwibank on 0800 272 278.
For support or questions about the Kāinga Whenua Loan process please call Kāinga Ora on 0508 935 266.
Page updated: 27 September 2024