Kāinga Whenua Loans – for Maori land trusts

Loans are available for individuals and have been extended to Māori land trusts and other collectives. It also includes land received by iwi and hapu as part of Treaty settlements.

Kāinga Ora and Kiwibank together administer the Kāinga Whenua Loan Scheme for Māori land trusts and other collectives.

Registering your interest

If you are a Māori land trust or other collective the first step is to register your interest in applying for a loan by filling in a Registration of Interest (ROI) form [PDF, 36 KB].

Completing the ROI form is not a formal application. It will allow us to review and understand your plans, do an initial assessment of your financial eligibility and ensure your application takes advantage of any recent policy changes.

Once your housing development proposal passes this initial screening, it will then proceed to the formal loan application process with Kiwibank.

What you can borrow

With Kāinga Whenua you can borrow up to $500,000 for each proposed dwelling. The approved loan value must include a 10% contingency amount – or 5% if a Master Build Guarantee is provided. Market interest rates will apply to the loan.

Kāinga Ora takes security over the dwelling by way of a bipartite agreement between the trust and Kāinga Ora.

The houses must be able to be removed from the site if necessary.

When completing the ROI you will need to provide a copy of the trust’s most recent audited accounts and details of your housing project including:

• number of houses to be built
• the budgeted cost
• how you will fund the development
• your plans for ownership of the houses 
• the legal entity that owns the land block.

To register an interest in a Kainga Whenua Loan for Māori land trusts:

Download the PDF of the form and email to kaingawhenua@kaingaora.govt.nz;

Or mail to:

Kāinga Whenua Loans
Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities
PO Box 2628
Wellington 6140