New Builds — small-scale papakāinga

Support to plan and build a small papakāinga of three to ten whare on whenua Māori, owned and lived in by the owners of the land.

Closes

Open — start with your nearest Te Puni Kōkiri regional office

Who can apply

Owners and trustees of whenua Māori, and rōpū Māori, developing a papakāinga where the homes will be owned and occupied by the owners of the whenua and whānau who whakapapa to the land. General title land and land returned under Treaty settlements are also in scope.

Amount

Grants are typically $500,000 to $3 million per rōpū (a capital grant toward infrastructure and construction costs). The land-owning rōpū must generally contribute 25-40% of construction costs. Te Puni Kōkiri no longer funds the earlier planning/technical-advice stage.

Funding route

Grant

Applicants

Marae & hapū, Iwi & Māori organisations, Individuals & whānau, Businesses & land trusts

Before you apply

Te Puni Kōkiri say this plainly on their own page and it should change how you plan: grant funding is not guaranteed, demand across the rohe exceeds what they have, and they cannot fund every proposal that meets the criteria. They advise pausing before the build steps until funding is confirmed rather than committing and hoping. Take that at face value and line up other funding alongside it.

Generally three to ten whare. Larger affordable housing developments are no longer their investment focus — that sits with the housing ministry and Kāinga Ora, and Te Puni Kōkiri’s role there is facilitative.

What they are actually looking for is an intentional Te Ao Māori community, not just houses. Papakāinga they support usually include communal spaces and shared amenities — orchards, māra kai, gathering or recreation areas — and often provide a base for whānau and community enterprise. Frame the proposal that way.

Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga, the $730m four-year programme, ended in May 2025 and was replaced by a more flexible funding approach. Older guides still point at it. Register a housing enquiry with your regional office to start.

Official source →

Checked 16 September 2026

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Details change without notice. Check the funder's own page before you apply. Tōku Waka does not administer, assess or award this funding.