Housing New Zealand is not taking the blame for the small number of loans issued to Maori who want to build houses on their shared land.
Since the launch four years ago, only 11 Kainga Whenua loans have been approved.
Housing New Zealand said the loan scheme was just one of many factors involved in building on Maori land.
Other factors included getting agreement from multiple landowners or Maori Land trusts, and complying with district and regional council rules.
Asked if enough people knew about the scheme, officials commented that they had carried out advertising to promote Kainga Whenua loans.
They also said the aim to make sure as many people as possible knew about it by providing brochures, information on the Housing New Zealand website, and continuing to work with Kiwibank, the actual lender.
