Kāinga Whenua Loans – for Collectives

The Kāinga Whenua Loan Scheme is an initiative between Kāinga Ora and Kiwibank to help Māori achieve home ownership on their multiply-owned land. This can also include land received by iwi and hapu as part of Treaty settlements. Loans are available for individuals and Māori collectives, including land trusts.

Kiwibank will approve and provide the loan, and you will need to meet their standard lending criteria as well as the Kāinga Whenua criteria. Kāinga Ora will underwrite the loan for Kiwibank. A Kāinga Whenua loan is secured only against the house, not against the house and land as with most home loans.

What is a collective?

A Māori collective includes, but is not limited to:

• a putea trust pursuant to section 212 of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993(external link)
• a whānau trust pursuant to section 214 of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993(external link)
• an ahu whenua trust pursuant to section 215 of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993(external link)
• a whenua tōpū trust pursuant to section 216 of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993(external link)
• a kai tiaki trust pursuant to section 217 of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993(external link)
• an incorporation pursuant to section 247 of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993(external link).

If you have any questions on if your collective qualifies for a Kāinga Whenua Loan, please contact Kāinga Ora on 0508 WELCOME (0508 935 266).

What can I borrow?

With a Kāinga Whenua Loan what you can borrow is down to what you can afford. The approved loan value must include a 10% contingency amount – or 5% if a Master Build Guarantee is provided. Market interest rates will apply to the loan.

How does it work?

Kāinga Ora takes security over the house, through an agreement between the landowners (the collective) and Kāinga Ora. This agreement requires the houses be built on piles, and able to be removed from the site if necessary.

When pulling together your application, some things to consider are:

• how many houses are going to be built
• the budgeted cost
• how you will fund the development
• how you will fund the infrastructure
• your plans for ownership of the houses 
• the legal entity that owns the land block and their governance structure

Next steps

To find out if you are eligible for a Kāinga Whenua loan, call Kiwibank on 0800 272 278.

Building on multiply-owned Māori land can be a long and complicated process. Kāinga Ora is here to support you through the process and you can call us on 0800 801 601 with any questions.