Māori housing showcased on world stage

Housing for Māori will take centre stage when Associate Housing Minister Tariana Turia attends the World Indigenous Housing Conference in Vancouver, Canada from 11 to 15th June.

“This is a unique opportunity to share common housing experiences with people from other countries and to learn from the best ideas and practices from around the world,” said Mrs Turia.

“I’m privileged to have been asked to take part in the National Housing Ministers Forum, and to hear how other nations have approached housing for their unique situations.”

“I will explain the New Zealand approach of supporting local solutions – from groups who know best how to help their communities developing housing strategies that fit within their own context.”

“I will also discuss the use of models such as Whānau Ora where families take control of their own wellbeing, believe that within the collective force is the key to resilience and transformation, and that they can rise above whatever confronts them.”

“We have a long way to go in terms of sustainable housing solutions for Māori so our delegation will be eager to listen and learn from other jurisdictions”.

Minister Turia will also be presenting in a session, Indigenous Leaders in Senior Government’ and in a joint session with Naida Glavish, Chairperson of the Iwi Leaders Group for Housing.

The conference is the first international forum to bring indigenous housing leaders, senior government officials, researchers and corporate heads from around the world together to learn from best practices, build a global network, and showcase indigenous cultures.

‘Sharing Our Stories; Sharing Our Successes’ is the overall theme of the conference and five topics will be addressed: health and housing, capacity building, disaster preparedness, governance and partnerships. Workshops are arranged around these themes.

Further information: www.indigenous2012.com