Algorithm Barriers

You want a mortgage. It doesn’t matter how much the bank manager might know or trust you, if the algorithm says no, on the basis of predetermined binary classification that may or may not fit your situation then there is no room for compassion. Since the establishment of the Treaty of Waitangi, Māori worked with central and local governments to develop papa kāinga (family housing settlements) on Māori-owned land. Successive governments have supported the idea of papa kāinga, while at the same time creating policies which make it increasingly difficult for Māori to achieve success. One of those barriers is the almost complete inability to borrow money from a mainstream bank to build a home on land owned by your family. There is a housing crisis. There is a cry from commentators to develop Māori land for housing. There are so many barriers it is close to impossible to achieve. There is no compassion, and no consideration of cultural values.