Tuatahi means first, and this papakāinga is the first of many that Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei plans to build for its people across Tāmaki Makaurau. The case study provides many rich learnings for the development of future urban papakāinga.
Situated on Takaparawhā at the heartland of the ancestral whenua of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Kāinga Tuatahi is a medium-density development comprising 30 whare, with a range of two, three and four bedroom configurations.
As a social enterprise, the development is as much about curating a new and thriving community as it is about creating new homes for hapū members. A particular focus for the development was building homes for first-time homeowners. Through novel landownership and financing arrangements, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei has been able to provide affordable housing for its people in a prime city fringe location.
Also key to the development was the expression of the cultural identity of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and the principles relating to environmental wellbeing and sustainable design. Sustainability is present throughout the development in the form of community gardens, shared play spaces, zero waste initiatives, stormwater retention and filtering systems, and onsite renewable energy production and storage.