A new housing development called Our Whare Our Fale aims to bring affordable, Pacific-style homes to Porirua.
Central Pacific Collective’s Fa’amatuainu Tino Pereira was inspired to launch the project after hearing about families struggling in poor housing conditions. This initiative, now six years in the making, broke ground recently in eastern Porirua, with support from Ngāti Toa, a local iwi.
The village, designed with Pacific cultural traditions in mind, will feature homes facing a central malae (green space) and a large fale (meeting house), where residents can gather for cultural events and celebrations. These homes are specially designed for larger, intergenerational families, with spacious living areas and bedrooms on the ground floor to accommodate elders.
Construction on the first 18 homes has started, with plans for up to 300 houses over the next ten years. A key focus is to provide warm, dry homes, which is crucial as families in eastern Porirua are twice as likely to live in damp, mouldy conditions than those in other parts of the city. Funding for the project—nearly $115 million—was granted in 2022, with Ngāti Toa purchasing the land to make the development possible.
Lisa Taueu-Anae, one of the first buyers, looks forward to breaking the cycle of overcrowded living. With her husband and four children, she hopes the new four-bedroom fale will offer them stability and an opportunity to own a home. Taueu-Anae, who grew up in a crowded home with her grandparents, wears a badge in memory of her grandfather, who inspired her to dream of homeownership.
To help families like hers, the project offers financial support and education, along with a shared-ownership plan that makes buying a home more affordable. “It’s just beyond what we thought possible,” Taueu-Anae shared, hoping her journey inspires others in the Pacific community to pursue their homeownership dreams.
