Ko wai mātou
Built by whānau,
for whānau.
Whānau Cabins is a Māori, whānau-based business from Ngāti Maru and Te Ātiawa, Taranaki. We build fully insulated, weatherproof cabins that give whānau across Aotearoa a warm, affordable place to call home.
The people behind the mahi
Tony & Dolly
Van Hoogenboom
Tony and Dolly Van Hoogenboom are the founders of Whānau Cabins — a whānau-based business rooted in Ngāti Maru and Te Ātiawa, Taranaki. They started Whānau Cabins because they saw firsthand how hard it was for whānau to access warm, affordable housing. They decided to do something about it.
Every cabin they build is designed to last — fully insulated, weatherproof, and built to handle everything Aotearoa’s climate can throw at it. From the foundation up, they do it with care, with craft, and with aroha.
They work with whānau directly — no middlemen, no pressure, no hidden costs. Just two people who know what it means to build a home, and who want to help others do the same.
Tony
Dolly
Tony & Dolly Van Hoogenboom — Founders, Whānau Cabins
How we work
What we stand for.
01
Whānau first, always
Every decision we make starts with whānau. We’re not a big company trying to scale — we’re two people from Taranaki who want to see whānau housed, warm, and thriving.
02
Built to last
Fully insulated, weatherproof, and built to handle Aotearoa’s climate. We don’t cut corners because the whānau living in these cabins deserve better than that.
03
Honest pricing
No hidden costs, no surprises. What you see is what you pay. We know whānau are working hard for every dollar — we treat that with respect.
Our roots
Ngāti Maru. Te Ātiawa.
Taranaki.
Whānau Cabins is proudly Māori owned and operated. Tony and Dolly’s whakapapa traces back to Ngāti Maru and Te Ātiawa — two iwi with deep roots in Taranaki. That connection to whenua shapes everything about how they do business.
They work with iwi and hapū across Aotearoa who want to build papakāinga housing on their whenua. They understand the legal pathways, the tikanga, and the practical realities of building on Māori land — because they’ve walked that road themselves.
If your iwi or hapū is looking at bulk cabin orders for papakāinga, kōrero mai — Tony and Dolly would love to work with you.
Working with iwi & hapū