Northland Māori housing advocate Ricky Houghton is being remembered for his passion and commitment to housing the homeless and those in need.
Houghton, 62, died on Monday morning surrounded by family, Te Piringatahi O Te Maungaarongo Marae said.
He was chief executive of Kaitāia’s He Korowai Trust, which offered emergency housing and rent-to-buy housing schemes, and was named New Zealand’s local hero of the year in 2018.
Houghton had cancer, but being sick did not slow him down, Ngātiwai chief executive Hūhana Lyndon said.
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“He was so full of life. We hosted the national Māori housing forum, Maihi Whare Wānanga, and he was dialling in from his hospital bed.
“He was sick as, and he was there offering his opinion and support.”
Christel Yardley/Stuff
Ricky Houghton, He Korowai Trust chief executive and 2018 New Zealand local hero, is best remembered for his passion for housing those in need.
Lyndon said “uncle Ricky”, as she affectionately knew him, was hugely passionate about the wellbeing of his people.
“He was a trailblazer in terms of getting housing done. He put his money where his mouth was, and mortgaged his own home to execute his projects – that was the type of man he was,” she said.
Houghton provided across-the-board solutions for housing, from transitional housing in cabins and hotels, to rent-to-buy homes and a building academy, Lyndon said.
“He focused on the wellbeing of the people and what does help our people. Employment, safe housing, wellness and providing for families in general, that was his focus.”
Lyndon believed Houghton built a strong team at He Korowai Trust, who will be able to carry on his work.
Ngāti Hine leader Pita Tipene said Houghton was a champion for the community.
“Ricky Houghton gave both urgency and diligence [to housing needs]. Leaders like him don’t turn up every week or month.
“He knew how to work the system – he would walk the streets of Wellington and walk into Government departments, and push and push for things to happen,” Tipene said.
“It’s a huge loss – he’s a giant in the community and a giant in the housing space.”
As well as his aptitude in the housing space, Houghton was a genuinely lovely man, Tipene said.
“He was always happy, always accommodating, always willing to help.
“He would say, ‘Love you bro,’ in a time when not too many men would say that sort of thing out loud.”
