The company offers a unique solution to the housing crisis
A Māori-led social enterprise with a unique approach to resolving the housing crisis has set up in Wairarapa.
Hauora Kainga, trading as Globe Domes, is a New Zealand- and Australia-owned and operated company that seeks to provide accessible and affordable housing in the form of its Globe tent homes. It was established in Hamilton in January 2022 then relocated to Masterton in April this year.
Rising rents and mortgage rates across New Zealand have made homeownership impossible for many, negatively impacting people’s mental health – and this, according to Sharee Wilkinson, Globe Domes sales representative, was what the company wanted to combat by offering a cheaper, faster-to-build alternative to conventional housing, Wairarapa Times-Age reported.
Global Dome’s more affordable housing solutions are in the form of cotton-insulated PVC tents with galvanised steel internal frames, which measure from four metres in diameter [touted as ideal for an extra bedroom or office] to 10 metres in diameter [mostly for commercial use].
Wilkinson said their six-metre-diameter dome, their most popular-sized dome, can comfortably house three people.
Modular by design, the domes feature a range of optional extras, which include the number of windows, extractor fans, fireplaces, and showers, and can incorporate solar panels for an off-grid set-up.
Māori landowners with a license to occupy their land can purchase a dome using their KiwiSaver funds.
Wilkinson said the company has attracted a lot of interest from people needing offices or extra bedrooms, people developing housing on traditional Māori Land, and people wanting to put up “glamping” accommodation on their land for extra income.
He said the company was offering these options in order to achieve its ultimate mission, which was “to combat the mental health and housing crisis,” Wairarapa Times-Age reported.
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