How to Begin Kainga Today
Remembering the Future
The key to the Kainga is the Wharepuni
What is Kainga?
He Tangata, He Tangata, He Tangata.
Kainga is a community that shares more than a common locality, it shares a common purpose. The interests of the people are shared. It comes with tikanga; its people already know how to live and work together. It is very different than the Pakeha model of subdivision, with 3-bedroom homes on separate allotments facing a public road. It is about kaitiakitanga.
Returning to bare land, perhaps with a wharenui and wharekai on a 2-acre marae ātea is unrealistic for most. To move, families need a home and income, but the time and cost of house building is prohibitive.
The key is wharepuni – a mobile home pod installed in a day
Manufactured in a factory in a month, installed on-site in a day, the wharepuni pod costs a tenth of Kiwibuild, comes complete: kitchen, bath, bedrooms and lounge. Most importantly, pods do not commit the land. They are moved on site, the family moves in, but then allows the 5-15 years to fund and implement a permanent plan for the kainga.
The pod is about the same size as a traditional wharepuni and serves the same purpose. While they are the missing link, however, they are only a part of the total project. The aim is to restore kainga living.
What is a wharepuni?
A wharepuni is a Māori family home. A wharepuni neke is a mobile home pod is moved on when needed and off when not. The pod is built to Code but remains on wheels (not fixed to land), thus under the Building Act, it is not a building (no consent required).
Cost is $60-80,000 with kitchen and bath. Available on a rental basis or on a Lease to Acquire. Sizes 7.2 x 3 to 9 m x 3m, and for larger families, a wet-pod/dry-pod design provides a kitchen/bath pod with a deck to bedroom pods.
Prepare the Land
Begin with a whanau workshop where you stake out the land. In some cases, the sites will be known – the wharenui may already be there, or the elders remember where it was.
Plan the Local Economy
How to earn a living. Tino rangatiratanga means control over ones life, and in the economy this means ensuring resources are available to live and to thrive.
Manākitanga
There is a thirst for authenticity. A manākitanga economy is an invitation for visitors to visit the kainga and experience it. It’s not entertainment. It’s sharing.
Plan for 7 generations
Beginnings
Start out simply. In the first stage, return to the land. The wharepuni allow this without committing land. It kickstarts the kainga. It also allows the people to get to know the qualities of the land – where it is warm and where the wind blows; when seasonal water bogs the land, what is good growing soil.
Once settled, look forward into the future. Expect that climate change. If you are near the sea, consider the impact of sea-level rise. Plan for storm bombs and drought in water capture and storage.
As the world turns increasingly digital, ensure the young have face-to-face life experiences. Plan for rites of passage and a diversity of activities that is more attractive than the reality presented in television, monitors, tablets and cell phones.