(Picture caption: Josua Tauva and his family enjoy home ownership thanks to the support of financial advisor Andrew Lavulavu and Home Ownership Pathway.)
Making a move onto the property ladder was a somewhat bleak prospect for Auckland surveyor Josua Tauva.
Josua – who is of Fijian heritage – and his wife Rachael struggled with their budget, finding a location that was close to work and other challenges which accompany buying a home.
That was until they found out about independent Auckland financial advisor Andrew Lavulavu and his services at Home Ownership Pathway.
Andrew is the director of Home Ownership Pathway and partnered with the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) to enable his financial capability programme.
Josua says he and his family moved around Auckland many times renting and trying to find a place that “made economic sense”.
“Work ultimately moved north (of Auckland) for me and so we came up to Whangaparaoa renting and looking for something to buy in 2019, but we struggled with our budget,” Josua says.
“Rachael found out about Andrew after we struck out with some local mortgage brokers as we did not have much to work with.
“Andrew helped by offering us a pathway to get to a position where we could make things work.
“Andrew listened to our situation and tailored stuff for us, rather than the standard lines we would receive, a lot of the time causing more stress than results.
“With Andrew, it was a breath of fresh air to hear something that would work for us.”
Now, Josua, his family and his brother Robert live comfortably in their Orewa home, which he bought two years ago.
Josua’s advice to Pacific people who are struggling to save for a home, or who have no idea where to start, is rather simple.
“Get in touch with Andrew or someone who can help, no matter what stage you are at and design a pathway that ticks off those little goals which lead you to the big picture.
“It’s a great feeling, knowing we now have roots and a place to build from… no more moving and renting.
“We’ve had the opportunity to get a puppy, which we have wanted for the kids for more than five years; it’s a bonus for us.”
Josua adds before meeting Andrew’s team, things seemed bleak.
“I personally had resigned to the idea that it was too difficult.
“Andrew turned that all around and now I am grateful for all the work he has done to get us to this point.”
Josua moved to New Zealand in 2005 to attend university, and then met his wife Rachael while working in Auckland in 2008.
The couple started a family in 2013 and now have two children - Filipe, 9, and Rose, 7.
Josua’s father is from a small island in Fiji and came to Aotearoa on a scholarship.
He met Josua’s mother at university and moved back to Fiji in the 1970s.
Visit the MPP website for more information on the Pacific Housing Initiative and how MPP is helping Pacific people with home ownership.