HOUSING FOR MAORIS

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27987, 6 June 1956, Page 8

HOUSING FOR MAORIS

RECORD SET LAST YEAR

527 HOMES BUILT UNDER STATE SCHEME

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 5.

A record number of houses were built for Maori families under the Maori Affairs Department's home ownership scheme during the year ended March 31, 1956. Five hundred and twenty-seven houses were erected.

The previous record was set in 195354, when 511 bouses were built. Announcing the new record today, the Minister of Maori Affairs (Mr E. B. Corbett) said that, though the provision of 527 new houses had made a marked impression on the standard of Maori housing generally, nobody realised better than he that there were still far too many sub-standard Maori houses.

Mr Corbett said every effort would be made to maintain the rate of house building this year. To a large extent this was up to the Maoris who needed houses, for, though the department aided them with lending, and often building facilities, the scheme was designed so that the applicant himself had to bear as much of the responsibility as could reasonably be expected. This was in line with the Government policy of encouraging self-reliance. In addition to the 527 new houses. 11 existing houses were bought for Maoris with the department’s aid. These figures did not take into account the number of State rental houses allocated to Maori families, Mr Corbett said. It was not possible to give this figure, as separate Maori and pakeha allocations were not kept throughout the country. Also, it was not known how many Maoris built their own houses without help from the Maori Affairs Department.

Mr Corbett said the areas in which the new houses were built during the year were: Tokerau (North Auckland), 75; Waikato-Maniopoto, 145 (including 94 in Greater Auckland and environs): Waiariki (Rotorua, Bay of Plenty. Urewera). 130: Taira whiti (Northern Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne. East Coast). 55; Aotea (Wanganui, Taranaki. King Country), 61; Ikaroa (Wellington, •lawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, South Island), 61.