2022

Back to basics: A tiny house settlement intertwining Māori values

Léon Forgues

[email protected]
027 234 2450
Base houses with circles

Is it possible for someone to leave the dilapidated rental they are paying too much for and move into a quality house they own?

One way lies in the growing movement of people building small dwellings, usually on trailers, which are known as tiny houses. Because these tiny houses are movable under the Land Transport Act 1998, they occupy a grey area when it comes to the Building Act 2004 and the Resource Management Act 1991, making them affordable and enticing. If the current trajectory of the housing and rental markets continues in a way that makes the majority of Kiwis stressed and unhappy, it is worth looking back to how people used to live in Aotearoa as an alternative to the rat race that is affecting our well-being.

This thesis explores the feasibility of creating a co-housing settlement of self-built tiny houses, following Māori values and their Pre-European ways of living (tikanga).

 
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Site Plan of tiny house village
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Permaculture Zones

Also covered are the benefits of co-housing, the mana of letting people build and design their own spaces, and the basics of off-grid living and permaculture.

 
Photos of site
Living site model

In addition, Back to Basics presents the rules and regulations which apply to tiny houses, tips for how to design them, and a breakdown of considerations for creating a tiny house village.

 
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Solar diagram