He Whare, He Taonga: Hauraki Wāhine and the Fight for Housing Sovereignty

Hauraki Māori wāhine, through Te Whariki Manawahine O Hauraki, are asserting their right to secure housing on their whenua, resisting a system that has long denied them stability, dignity, and tino rangatiratanga. For generations, kāinga has been central to Māori well-being, yet colonisation, state-imposed violence, and economic exclusion have dismantled communal housing structures.
Grounded in He Whare, He Taonga research, this article amplifies the voices of wāhine Māori grandmothers and great-grandmothers, knowledge holders who have witnessed both housing insecurity and whānau-led resilience. Using Mana Wāhine methodology and Pū-Rā-Ka-Ū thematic analysis, it situates their experiences within broader Indigenous housing struggles, highlighting the intersections of housing poverty and whānau violence.
While state initiatives continue to fail, papakāinga and multigenerational living offer tangible solutions. Restoring kāinga is not just an aspiration but a right under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an urgent necessity for Hauraki whānau. Wāhine Māori are not only resisting systemic failures but leading the fight for tino rangatiratanga-driven, Māori-led housing justice.