Taranaki Regional Housing Fund • Whare Whakaruruhau ki Taranaki
A place of warmth, comfort, security and belonging.
Our Name
Whare Whakaruruhau ki Taranaki is more than the name of a housing fund. It reflects a simple but powerful idea: everyone deserves a place to belong.
The name translates as "a house for sheltering under in Taranaki" and is accompanied by the question, Hei aha? – What for? The answer is Hei Āhuru Mōwai – a place of warmth, comfort, security and belonging.
Insight to action
Building on conversations across the region
Taranaki Regional Housing Fund did not emerge from a single project or organisation. It is the result of years of research, collaboration and conversations across the region.
Over time, housing providers, iwi, councils, community organisations, developers, investors and sector leaders have worked together to better understand Taranaki's housing challenges and explore potential solutions. These discussions highlighted a common theme: while good projects and opportunities exist, access to suitable capital is often a barrier to delivery.
The Fund has been established in response to those insights, and creates a vehicle that can help connect investment with projects that deliver lasting housing outcomes for Taranaki communities.
Around the slopes of our maunga, a ring of bushline forms a protective cloak that connects the mountains, awa, flora and fauna with the communities below – a reminder that strength comes from connection, support and collective care.
In many ways, the Fund itself is a Waharua Kōpito – a meeting place where community need, housing opportunity, investment and partnership come together.
This meeting of people, ideas and opportunities sits at the heart of the Fund. By bringing together investors, iwi, housing providers, councils, developers and community organisations, the Fund helps create housing opportunities that might not otherwise be possible. Together, these connections create something greater than the sum of their parts.
Our Identity
At the centre of our region, stands Taranaki, Pouakai and Kaitake.
That same idea is reflected in the Fund's logo. Inspired by the structure of a whare, the design represents shelter, stability and belonging.
It draws on key elements of the whare, including the maihi (bargeboards, the ancestor's arms), amo (front posts, the ancestor's legs) and heke (rafters, the ancestor's ribs), grounded in the whenua, our connection to place.
Repeating lines and triangular forms acknowledge the landscapes, communities and generations that shape Taranaki, while also drawing inspiration from the kōwhaiwhai pattern Waharua Kōpito, which translates as ‘a place where people and events meet’.
Toi Foundation is the sponsor and founding Limited Partner of the Taranaki Regional Housing Fund.
As part of its commitment to supporting the long-term wellbeing of Taranaki, Toi Foundation has played a leading role in bringing together partners, exploring innovative approaches, and helping establish the Fund.
While the Fund operates independently with its own governance and decision-making framework, the Foundation's support helps enable the Fund to grow and create meaningful housing outcomes across the region.
