Licence to Occupy

Our Licence to Occupy Home ownership pathway is specifically designed for whānau with a Licence to Occupy (on either Māori or General land). You will achieve home ownership over time with supported financing and tailored ongoing support.

A License to Occupy is an arrangement where you own the house you live in, but not the land it sits on. Instead, you pay a regular fee to use the land. This fee gives you the right to live on the land for as long as the agreement lasts, but the land itself remains owned by someone else. You can still make the house your own, but if you want to move or leave, you simply end the agreement and may need to remove your house from the land. It's a way to own a home without the cost of buying the land beneath it.

How it Works

  • Overview

    1. A Licence to Occupy (LTO) is required for this pathway.

    2. If your kaenga will be sited on whenua Māori you must ensure that you have a LTO from the trust or other ownership structure. You must also ensure that the Trust Deed has provision for an LTO!

    3. The loan term is dependent on affordability.

    4. Education and navigation support is provided to help you to secure a home loan with Kaenga Hou.

    5. Debt reduction and savings support is provided.

    6. Hikurangi Enterprises will supply the kaenga.

  • This pathway is for whānau who:

    1. Have little to no deposit.

    2. Do not own the land where the kaenga will be sited but have, or are working to secure a Licence to Occupy.

    3. Are willing to commit to a long term partnership with Kaenga Hou.

    4. Are willing to complete a financial literacy programme.

    5. Commit to living in your kaenga as your main place of residence.

    6. Have a total household gross (before tax) income of not more than $130,000 per year.

    7. Have stable and sufficient household income to service the debt and meet affordability requirements.

    8. Whakapapa to or have worked in Te Tairāwhiti region for at least two years.

  • Why choose the Licence to Occupy pathway:

    1. It removes the barriers of obtaining finance to build on Māori land.

    2. Whānau on lower incomes and/or whānau who do not meet mainstream bank lending criteria are supported into homeownership.

    3. Support mechanisms are available to tautoko whānau to become full homeowners.

The Māori Land Court

If your Licence to Occupy is for whenua Māori under the management of a Trust please ensure that your Trust Order has the provisions for occupation!

If there's no management structure in place for your whenua, you’ll need to apply for an Occupation Order.

Need help? Click the button below for more information. The Māori Land Court in Gisborne provides excellent guidance to support you through the process.