13 May 2015

Nga Potiki Trust eyeing up 200 state houses

6:35 am on 13 May 2015

A Māori trust is keen to buy state houses in the Papamoa rohe of Tauranga from the Government.

The government announced last week it was selling off about 2000 homes to community housing providers in Invercargill and Tauranga.

Ngā Pōtiki Trust is a registered community housing provider and said it had told the government for several years that it was keen to manage state houses in its rohe.

Deputy trustee Victoria Kingi said it was looking to buy between 150 and 210 state properties.

Ms Kingi said the trust wanted to purchase the houses as it believed that local solutions worked for local issues.

She said Ngā Pōtiki Trust hoped to make it onto the shortlist of potential buyers and would put a proposal to the government by the end of the year.