New tenant Liz Love reflects on what it means to live in a papakāinga.
The first thing Liz Love brought into her new home was a picture of her tīpuna and Te Āti Awa Chief, Wī Tako Ngātata. His portrait was held close as she signed the tenancy contract and officially started life in her new home.
She says “He’s in all of our homes. I’m just trying to figure out, if he’s the first thing you see when you walk in, or the last thing you see when you sit down. He always goes up first.”
As a descendant of the original inhabitants of Te Aro Pā, Liz has followed the developments of Te Aro Pā Trust closely. She remembers going to a meeting hosted by Te Tumu Paeroa, where today’s owners voted to swap the land in Polhill Gully for the new section at Evans Bay and all their ancestors were on her mind as she began moving in.
“Well I probably didn’t expect to be this emotional, but looking back on the processes that have taken place for these homes to be here today, it’s extremely overwhelming and its a blessing, not only for my family for our iwi and our people. ... I feel very honoured when I think of all the people that have been on the journey and are no longer here with us.”
The idea of raising her two sons on whenua connected to her tīpuna and surrounded by whānau is the icing on the cake.
“I like the fact that my landlords and pretty much all of my neighbours will somehow be whānau. ... It’s definitely a positive move and you know your environment sets the mindset for your whānau, and this being a papakāinga in a nice neighbourhood, it’ll benefit us.”
In fact, it was Liz’s youngest son who overheard her talking about the papakāinga in Evans Bay and encouraged her to apply for a tenancy. Soon after, and with support from Ngati Kahungungu Community Services, she was able to break her fixed-term tenancy and move into a Te Aro Pā home.
Giving whānau like Liz’s a helping hand is exactly what the Trustees of Te Aro Pā had wished for when they decided to build homes on the land. They hope that each of the tenants will be set on a path toward home ownership.
In the words of Taku Parai, Descendant, owner and Advisory Trustee “When visions become a reality people become confident and trustworthy. I believe through the collective the future looks great. These apartments will inspire and lift all those who will live in them."