Kāinga Whenua

The Kāinga Whenua Loan Scheme aims to help Māori achieve home ownership. A Kāinga Whenua loan is secured against the house only rather than the house and land like other home loans.

Kāinga Whenua — home ownership on Māori land

Tēnā koutou e te iwi. The Kāinga Whenua loan scheme is an initiative between Kiwibank and Kāinga Ora to help Māori achieve home ownership on papakāinga.

The name Kāinga Whenua combines the concepts of home or homestead (kāinga) and connection to ancestral Maori owned lands (whenua/ahikaa).

Kāinga Whenua supports ahikaa and haukāinga to help address whānau papakāinga housing aspirations and can be used to build, buy, renovate, repair or relocate a house on to your whenua Māori.

How it works

For individuals

  • If you’re applying as an individual, you have to have a right to live on multiple-owned Māori land (i.e. you hold a licence to occupy).
  • A Kāinga Whenua loan is only secured against the house, not against the house and land as is usually the case with home loans.
  • If you borrow up to $200,000, no deposit is required. If you want to borrow over $200,000, you'll require (at least) a 5% deposit for every dollar borrowed above $200,000. For example a $400,000 loan would require a deposit of $10,000.
  • There's no cap on the amount you can borrow, however you'll need to meet our normal affordability criteria.
  • Kiwibank’s standard lending criteria apply.
  • There is a Lenders' Mortgage Insurance fee payable to Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities to insure your Kāinga Whenua loan. The fee is 0.50% of the loan amount and can be added to the loan.

What are the steps I need to take?

For individuals

  • See the Kāinga Ora website for eligibility requirements
  • Apply for conditional approval
  • Seek the support of the owners for your occupation on the block
  • Confirm home design/construction
  • Seek final loan approval from Kiwibank.

For collectives and Māori land trusts

If you're looking building multiple houses on whenua Māori, Kāinga Ora and Kiwibank may be able to help.

Developments and the building of one or more homes can make a big difference for your whanau.

Get in touch with one of our business banking specialists to talk through how we can support you through the Kāinga Whenua scheme.

Let's get you into your first home

Our home loan specialists will work with you to see if a Kāinga Whenua loan would suit. Our tools can also help you through the journey of buying your first home.

Talk to a specialist

Our home loan specialists can walk you through the process of buying a home and discuss what your options are.

Find a specialist

Home loan standard terms and conditions

Displayed interest rates are subject to change. Kiwibank’s lending criteria, terms and conditions, and fees apply.