Ground-breaking: Our Whare Our Fale, a new model for Pasefika housing and community in New Zealand
'We are thrilled to share that 'Our Whare Our Fale', a Central Pacific Collective initiative, broke ground last week with construction of the first 18 of up to 300 homes in Porirua starting early November. We have been deeply humbled in helping our friends bring this long standing vision to life.
Central Pacific Collective is a community-led organisation enabling wellbeing outcomes for Pasefika people in Wellington.
A new housing model for Aotearoa, for Pasefika
The first of several sites, Esk place is a case study project to drive forward a new model of housing. Designed with community, affordability, health and amenity in mind, with a particular focus on the culture brought from the islands, this project breaks the mould of traditional social housing. A design language inspired by the vernacular architecture of the Pacific, 18 new warm, dry and healthy homes surround a communal Fale and Malae (shared house and greenspace), encouraging community interaction and shared intergenerational living.
The Central Pacific Collective is also collaborating with local iwi Ngāti Toa and the government to provide land and funding to make these homes affordable, featuring a low purchase price and a rent-to-own scheme.
"What we're doing here in Porirua is a concrete example, a practical example of realizing the vision of what Te Tiriti o Waitangi makes possible," said Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira Chief Executive Helmut Modlik.
We’re incredibly proud to play a part of such an important project and look forward to the future possibilities it holds for providing more families with beautiful, healthy homes that meet the needs of diverse cultures.
Visualisations by Render Studio
