Our vision at Te Whare Hangahanga is to empower our whānau and wider community to lead kaupapa that will create an equitable te ao.

We want to enable equitable solutions to create homes for our whānau and community that are healthy and affordable.

Our whānau need warm, safe, dry and long-term homes, but the current market and systems make this an impossible dream.

We focus on strategies to build affordable whare fast; in a way that is good for both us and Papatūāunuku; and that puts control back in the hands of our whānau.

We are led by mātauranga Māori, implementing solutions that honour ngā Ātua, ngā tīpuna.

For every whare we work on, we ensure that we maintain a high level of standard for our whānau.

We work with you to ensure that we can maintain whānau-led designs and construction in areas that your whānau, hapū, iwi and community are comfortable with.

We will stand and tautoko you where we need to, or implement solutions on your behalf, when asked to.

We have invested our time and skills in looking for building systems that will challenge status quos today and give our whānau autonomy. These systems focus on our environment and inclusive design first. This allows us to create homes for whānau quickly.

Why are we different?

Whānau Led

We are focused on making a difference for our whānau. We are not technology- led, but we utilise technology to awhina our whānau.

We listen to the stories of what is happening on the ground and shape our solutions to resolve those key issues, tackling root causes where possible.

“By empowering our whānau, our hapū and our iwi - you in turn empower our wider community.”
— Teresa Aporo

Continuously Improving

We are constantly on the look out for new technologies (or a return to old technologies) to help us improve our systems and processes. For example, we are conducting research into how to utlize raupō as an insulation solution, and are in discussions with BRANZ about the standards to support the national use of this.

Utilising Technology

Both of the building systems we work with allow us to build whare quickly, reducing build time and costs. Instead of months, building usually takes just weeks. We utilise the best options technology can provide to offgrid our whare. Offgridding reduces impacts on already fraught council infrastructure and systems, and also reduces the impact on Papatūānuku.