Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Finlayson hopes accord will mean better housing in Far North

Updated at 7:35 pm on 8 February 2013

Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson hopes a new agreement between iwi and the government will lead to better housing in the Far North, saying the state of some homes gives him the creeps.

The Government and three Northland iwi - Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri, and Ngai Takoto - signed a Social Development Accord on 5 February.

The accord aims to address social problems, such as health and housing, by working more collaboratively.

The agreement is part of the tribes' treaty settlement.

Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson says one outcome he'd like to see come from the accord would be to improve housing.

He says housing conditions there give him the creeps.

Mr Finlayson says there's something fundamentally wrong with the state of certain houses just a couple of valleys away from very beautiful homes on the coastline.

He says it's imperative to improve housing in the area.

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