Frequently asked questions
Who is the Trust?
We are a group of concerned Paekākāriki citizens. We are in the process of officially setting up as a trust, and we welcome your involvement. We have in the meantime also set up Paekākāriki Housing Limited to enable people to become shareholders and invest in the co-purchase of property. For more information on who we are personally see our bios.
Who will be recipients of the Trust's assistance?
Paekākāriki residents and their families. Other criteria for recipients of support will be chosen by trustees, in consultation with the wider Paekākāriki Housing Trust group and the community. The rationale for the first recipients, the Kingi-Warena whānau, is here.
Can I help?
Yes, everyone can help! It isn't just about money. If you have spare time, spare money, key contacts, influence, financial advice, leverage, bridging finance, can offer building, legal or childcare services, can bake cookies.... we can find a way to utilise your skills and abilities. Contact us. We welcome your involvement.
How is the Trust making decisions?
The trust needs to have regular publicly notified meetings open to the public and we are also using an online consensus decision-making tool called Loomio to ensure everyone in the group outside of physical meetings have the opportunity to enter discussion, vote on actions and read through all material and minutes. Once the Trust is formally created, the terms of the trust deed will prescribe how decisions are made.
What will any profit over and above shareholder dividends go towards?
This will go to the Trust to further its objectives. Contact us for more information.
What if the Kingi-Warena whānau want to leave the property?
The house would either be sold or re-financed.
How do we trust you know what you're doing?
It is true that none of us have run a housing trust before. However we are lucky to have some people not only with experience in housing on the team but a very strong array of professional experience across the initial group. Furthmore our trustees have a strong range of experience. We have also been lucky in this early set-up to have expert advice from several housing trusts. We're working with experts in community housing such as Homes for People (https://www.facebook.com/HomesforPeople/), New Zealand Housing Foundation (http://www.nzhf.org/) and Dwell Housing Trust (http://dwell.org.nz/). We are thankful for the many hours they have already given us of their time to discuss options and how they can help.
That said, we are learning as we go and exploring multiple models. We aim to be transparent.