Home for Christmas

A dream and a belief in a calling led Harley and Tatum (Te Aitanga-A-Hauiti, Ngai Tamanuhiri) to make the move from Gisborne to Rotorua in 2023.

When Harley secured a job in the manufacturing industry, the Samoan-Māori family put a plan into action from afar, arranging a private rental to move into. But when they arrived in Rotorua with their first load of household items, they found themselves in an unexpected situation.

“I probably cried because it was not what we expected,” says Tatum. “It was a leaky home – I believe it didn’t meet the Healthy Homes compliancy.”

Within three days, the family had made a decision to back out of the home. Still committed to the move, and with Harley about to begin his new job, the couple put their belongings into storage and moved into a tent with four of their children.

“We believed in our calling,” says Tatum. “We believed in my husband’s dream. We believe in the Lord and that we would make our way, even though it was tough.”

With the support of organisations in their community, the family moved into emergency accommodation, before moving again into a rental home.

Tatum first came across Habitat’s Progressive Home Ownership programme while browsing the Rotorua Trust website. After discussing it with Harley, the couple decided they had nothing to lose and might as well apply. With a few reservations about the process and fearing that it might be too good to be true, Tatum attended an information session at a local church with Habitat’s Regional Development Manager, Ralph.

“I remember being bold and asking a lot of questions and Ralph sold the programme to me. Actually, he didn’t need to sell it because it sold itself!”

The rent-to-own programme offers families security of tenure as they work towards purchasing the home within 10 years. The purchase price is agreed upon before the family moves in, with rent payments helping form a deposit towards a mortgage. Habitat’s Progressive Home Ownership developments in Rotorua have been supported by Bay Trust, Rotorua Trust, and the government’s Progressive Home Ownership Fund.

A missed phone call from Ralph and a message saying ‘call me when you get this’ had Harley hoping they’d been accepted, but after several return calls went unanswered, he was still in the dark. Unbeknownst to him, Ralph had spoken with Tatum and agreed not to break the news until she’d arrived home from work.

“I was at home and then my wife came in,” Harley recollects. “Normally we have a bit of a debrief and then she goes, ‘I’ve got some pictures to show you’ and showed me a picture of a home.

“It was really emotional. It definitely reinforced that belief that we’re in the right place.”

The whānau received the keys to their new four-bedroom home in November. A few weeks in, the couple say it’s been a journey to get to this point, but one that’s been worthwhile.

“I don’t even think I have words to describe how I feel about this home, and having a place to call home.

“When our 12-year-old found out that we were going to get this property, he goes ‘so does that mean we’re not moving more?’. Change is hard for him to adapt to, and we’ve moved four times in two years, so that was a lot for our family.”

Forming that stability is what drives them to achieve their home ownership goal. Creating a home where their kids, future grandkids, and generations can come together; a base that their children can always return to.

“I grew up with a mum who never owned a home,” Harley says. “She’d say it’s too much maintenance, it would cost too much money, and I had that mindset in my head. But coming here to Rotorua and moving so often in the last two years has really opened my eyes up to needing to be a homeowner so you can create that stability.”

Tatum, too, grew up in rental homes and says this opportunity is a game-changer for their children.

“It’s a demonstration to our kids that anything is possible – you’ve just got to believe.”

With the festive season right around the corner, the family is looking forward to creating memories and enjoying their first Christmas in their new whare.

“Home is actually everything,” says Tatum. “It’s like purpose, your base, the place that grounds you.

“We acknowledge the Lord in all this because we believe that first it’s faith, and then everything else comes. The experience we’ve had so far has totally blown my mind and opened me up to considering things I never thought I could achieve.”