Tuanui
The Tuanui partnership fixes up cold, damp homes in Wainuiomata so that whānau living there can be healthy and free of respiratory illness.
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tuanui - healthy homes for all
Tuanui is all about fixing up whānau homes to help avoid respiratory and other illnesses that come from living in cold, damp housing.
Community representatives, Māori leaders, local tradespeople and hauora advocates join together to lead the project, which was launched in May 2021.
Te Rākau Kaitohu (Director) Jim Moriarty leads two crews of tāne who provide much-needed renovations for older whānau homes in Wainuiomata.
Through the Tuanui programme, local men have the opportunity to retrain and upskill by working with experienced plumbers, electricians and builders.
Tuanui has seen 41 houses renovated in two and a half years. Renovations have included fixing leaking roofs, connecting hot water, installing heat pumps, upgrading showers or toilets and reducing damp.
This project comes from the Tu Kotahi Māori Asthma Trust, Wainuiomata Marae Board and Kokiri Marae Health and Social Services.
a community in need
Greater Wellington Regional Councillor Roger Blakeley is Chair of the Tuanui Project Steering Group. He is also Chair of the Wellington Regional Healthy Housing Group that helped drive the partnership.
At the project launch in 2021, he described how Wainuiomata had significantly higher rates of respiratory sickness and skin disease compared with the national average.
“In 2019, more than 1500 New Zealand children aged 0-14 years were admitted to hospital with a preventable, housing related, illness," Cr. Blakely said.
"Māori children were 3 times as likely and Pacific children 3.7 times as likely to be hospitalised as children of all other ethnicities.
"Unhealthy homes are an equity issue. This in turn impacts on school and employment outcomes, and on financial and mental health.”
“It is critical that we do something about this, now.”
wrap-around support
Tuanui evolved in response to changing social conditions experienced by whānau Māori.
Cheryl Davies, Tū Kotahi Māori Asthma and Research Trust Manager, says that Tuanui acknowledges the positive impact that having a warm, dry home has for whānau - but it also recognises the benefits of additional support.
"Twenty years ago, our whānau were able to own their home. You could capitalise on your family benefit and Māori Affairs were building homes – many of the homes in Wianuomata are Māori Affairs homes built in the 1960s," said Cheryl.
"Now, our whānau don’t often have those opportunities to buy their own home. They live in rented properties that aren’t up to standard, or may not be able to maintain their homes if they do own them.
"The homes fromt he '60s are deteriorating. This is the second, third generation of whānau who aren’t able to maintain their home. They can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel."
Jim says leaders such as Cheryl are looking at all options to provide support to whānau - whether that's through home maintenance education, support advocating with WINZ or kai parcels.
"I certainly hope this will continue. You hear about the impact on people’s lives, their homes, their families, their hauora, their wairua. All of that speaks for itself," says Jim.