New homebuying language guides recognise the Pacific way of owning a home

Buying a home is rarely a decision made by just one person in many Pacific households.

From pooled incomes to multi-generational living arrangements, Pacific families often approach home ownership differently.

Now, new Sāmoan and Tongan-language resources have been launched to help people navigate a property market that does not always reflect those realities.

The Real Estate Authority’s (REA) new guides, available through its Settled platform, explain the key steps involved in buying and selling property, including ownership structures, legal checks and common risks.

Belinda Moffat, REA chief executive, says the resources were developed to make information more accessible and better support communities where homebuying can involve wider family structures.

“We don’t want language to be a barrier,” Moffat told William Terite on Pacific Mornings.

Listen to Belinda Moffat's full interview below.

“Sometimes the properties they're looking for are for multi-generational family groups, and so their buying needs and the types of properties they're looking for are going to be quite unique to them, and they're also going to be thinking about different home ownership structures.”

The launch comes as Pacific home ownership remains below the national average.

Stats NZ data shows Pacific home ownership was 16.8 per cent in 2023, compared with a national average of 42.1 per cent.

In the 2023 Census, less than one in five Pacific families owned their home. Photo/Unsplash

Officials hope better access to information will help families make informed decisions when entering the property market.

Joe Savieti, a mortgage adviser, says understanding the process remains a challenge for some families especially when dealing with banking and lending language.

“There’s a lot of them that don’t know they’re closer than they think to owning their property,” he says.

“I think it’s the wording. It’s the jargon they use. People fear the process and get scared.”

Savieti says many families have stable incomes and savings but can lose confidence when faced with unfamiliar lending requirements.

The Penina Trust opened social housing in 2024, designed for multi-generational living. Photo/File

“It starts with a conversation, figuring out their goals, what they want to buy, and then understanding their borrowing power, and if that’s all good, we put a package together and send it to the bank.”

As more Pacific families explore home ownership, regulators are also warning people to be cautious of schemes promising quick ways to build a deposit.

Joseph Liava’a, Associate Commerce Commissioner, says scammers often exploit trust within close-knit communities, which makes Pacific families a target.

Housing advisers say the new guides are about translation and an acknowledgement that Pacific families, most of the time, follow their own path into home ownership and need information that reflects that reality.

Watch Joe Savieti's full interview below.