A Whakawhanaungatanga Mori wellbeing model for housing and urban environments

Significant effort is underway to address the housing crisis in Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa), including rapid investment in public and community housing. As Maori (the Indigenous people of Aotearoa) face many systemic barriers and impediments to home ownership, delivery and development of housing options and make up a significant proportion of public housing tenants, developing and managing housing and associated neighbourhoods that enable and support Maori wellbeing is of critical importance. To support this, we introduce A Whakawhanaungatanga Maori Wellbeing Model for Housing and Urban Environments - for use by researchers, developers, designers, managers and regulators - that emphasises whakawhanaungatanga (relationship building and creating connectedness) as central to wellbeing outcomes for Maori. Here we outline seven key concepts from Te Ao Maori built into our model, and pose questions to help guide researchers and housing and urban development actors in their respective research and development activities. While the model is primarily intended to contribute to Maori wellbeing outcomes in Aotearoa, it may also be of broader international interest to those working toward wellbeing outcomes in relation to housing and urban environments, particularly for Indigenous peoples.