Taranaki Iwi Collective Opens Te Katonga Nui Housing Development to Bring Whānau Home

On Saturday, 10 October 2026, Taranaki iwi and Ngā Mahanga hapū celebrated the opening of the first two homes at Te Katonga Nui, a new 22-house development in Ōkato. Located thirty kilometres from New Plymouth, the project represents a milestone in iwi-led housing, focused on creating affordable pathways to home ownership while restoring ancestral land. The development's name, Te Katonga Nui, signifies a "flood of people" returning to their homelands. The project was made financially viable through Hāpai, a collective investment fund representing 33 iwi. Trustee Daniel Harrison, a director of Te Kāhui o Taranaki’s property arm, told Te Ao Māori News that Hāpai’s bulk-buying power allowed the iwi to reduce material costs. This efficiency enabled local Māori businesses to make up fifty per cent of the construction workforce, effectively competing with large corporate builders to deliver high-quality, market-competitive homes. Environmental restoration was a core priority for Ngā Mahanga hapū, who oversaw the transformation of the neglected Te Mangaone Stream into a flourishing wetland. Hapū resource consents representative Tane Manukonga noted the importance of ensuring whānau return to a place where they can find their identity and repair their connection to the awa (river) and whenua (land). Among the first residents are single parent Mokoia Coe and Charmaine Power, who both expressed that the development creates a legacy for their mokopuna. The Ka Uruora housing trust provided essential financial literacy and mortgage support to prepare whānau for the transition. Te Kāhui o Taranaki expects the remaining 16 affordable units to be completed by late summer, with plans for an additional six kaumātua units currently in the design phase.