Four new homes open in Māngere, but almost 900 families waiting

Four new Māngere homes are giving Pacific families a life-changing step into home ownership, but a local councillor warns Auckland's housing crisis is still overwhelming.

The Ministry for Pacific Peoples marked the opening of the Penina Trust homes Coptic Place on Thursday, with Minister Dr Shane Reti attending.

Maria Meredith, one of the new homeowners, stood outside her family’s house, sharing a moment she never thought possible.

“Home ownership is more than just having a house,” she said. “It means stability for our children, a safe place for our grandparents, and a foundation that will carry through to future generations.”

Her family of eight includes her husband, three children, grandparents and a nephew from Samoa.

She said overcrowding had taken a toll on her family’s mental health.

Guests seated at the Penina Trust housing ceremony in Coptic Place, Māngere. Photo/PMN News/Mary Afemata

“I want leaders to understand that Pasifika families are struggling in silence. We are hardworking, but the housing crisis is hitting us the hardest.

"Our families are often larger, and overcrowding has serious impacts on our health and well-being.”

Penina Trust, a South Auckland NGO, provided a financial capability programme to help them secure a bank loan.

Council’s role, and its limits

Manukau Ward Councillor Lotu Fuli said the milestone showed what Pacific-led providers could achieve, but cautioned that the delivery was a “drop in the ocean” compared with need.

Figures from the Ministry of Social Development show 660 households in the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu area were on the housing register as at 30 June 2025, with a further 228 households already in public housing but waiting to be rehoused.

“We have a housing crisis,” Fuli said. “A small Pasifika-run trust like Penina is not going to really make a dent in the need that’s out there … the biggest landlord and the biggest party that can make a difference is central government.”

Councillor Lotu Fuli says Pacific-led initiatives like Penina Trust are vital, but South Auckland’s housing crisis remains overwhelming. Photo/file.

Pacific-led solutions

Tupuola Roine Lealaiauloto, Penina Trust chief executive, said they gave families “a hand up, not a handout”.

“Today is about stability for families. It is a pathway to generational wealth where children do not have to keep changing schools because of housing insecurity,” she said.

But she warned that Pacific families risk becoming “forever renters” if pathways to ownership are not strengthened.

The trust manages more than 250 rental properties across Auckland, and has developed progressive home ownership schemes.

Penina has been approached by far more families than it could house, with rising land costs and tighter bank lending making ownership harder, she said.

“We ask the government to be bold enough to future-proof our communities."

She also raised concerns about Government's review of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples, saying its support had helped families move into affordable home ownership.

Minister backs Pacific providers

Minister for Pacific Peoples Shane Reti said the Government has invested $4.3 million into Penina’s 22-home programme in South Auckland, as part of the Pacific Building Affordable Homes Fund. Larger developments are also underway, including a major build in Porirua.

“Three hundred homes, three zero zero. That’s a big number. And more than a hundred million dollars commitment from the Ministry for Pacific Peoples to facilitating that project,” he said.

Dr Shane Reti says Pacific home ownership is life-changing for families, bringing stability across generations. Photo/PMN News/Mary Afemata

Reti stressed that success was measured not just in houses delivered but in the stability they create for families. “Any one house that is built that is able to house Pasifika people is a success, and we’re now into dozens and soon to be into hundreds.”

He praised the Trust for leading culturally tailored housing solutions.

“Pasifika families struggle into home ownership. They’re represented through rental propositions. But to actually own a home changes a life."

Maria Meredith says home ownership brings stability for her children and grandparents. Photo/PMN News/Mary Afemata

Hope, but pressure remains

For the Meredith family, stepping onto the property ladder brings relief after years of uncertainty.

“I never would have believed that today we would be in this position, standing here as proud homeowners,” Meredith said. “This is more than just houses. It’s about building futures.”

However, hundreds of families in Māngere remain waiting for secure housing.

Fuli said charities and groups like this that have a genuine heart for the community. "They’re doing the best that they can, but they just don’t have the might and the power of central government to really, really make a difference.”

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.