The mahi to growing a connected and kai resilient community continues with Otago University
"Ko te whenua te waiu mō ngā uri whakatipu."
The land is the sustenance for the generations to come.
Back in 2022 and as part of the Te Mahinga Kai o Tairāwhiti kaupapa, Otago University came along to deep dive into the enablers and barriers surrounding kai, and the work it will take to create kai resilience throughout our region.
Te Mahinga Kai is a cross-sector collaborative that Healthy Families East Cape have been working alongside for almost four years to grow an affordable, nourishing and sustainable local food community in Te Tairāwhiti.
As part of their research funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand that will run between 2025 and 2027, Dr Ken Taiapa and Dr Christina McKerchar along with their team of Māori researchers based at Otago University and in Te Tairāwhiti, came along to Healthy Families East Cape in February to connect with kai growers, gatherers and hunters in the region to gather their voices and explore their experiences of growing, hunting and gathering kai in a changing climate.
"Plan for a year plant a garden, plan for 10 years plant fruit tress, plan for 100 years educate our people". I thought this was really awesome and emphasizes the importance of investing in education for lasting growth and long-term impact. - this was said by Tui Warmenhoven and I think that this not only resonates with me, but it resonates with our communities and whānau because they can see themselves in this,” Healthy Families East Cape Kaupapa Innovator, Hineani Campbell-Collier.
Both Dr Ken Taiapa and Dr Christina McKerchar whakapapa to the Tairāwhiti region (Ken is an ex-Ngata Memorial College student, and Christina is an uri from the Riddell/Pewhairangi whānau) and are passionate about kai sovereignty.
The conversations held at the local hui in February delved into communities that are struggling to access affordable, healthy kai for their whānau, as well as the barriers that exist for hunters and kai gatherers to growing, harvesting and hunting for their kai throughout our region.
The Māori-led research from Otago University is being developed through ongoing kōrero and hui with whānau in the rohe who grow, gather or hunt kai, along with support from other community organisations interested in the relationship between kai, climate change and wellbeing.
“What we learned in these conversations is that the change we need can actually be achieved through community-led advocacy and taking a whole-of-community approach to kai, and the concept of kaitiakitanga.” Healthy Families East Cape Practice Lead, George Kingi.
The findings will help Otago University, Healthy Families East Cape and our communities at large, better understand the relationship between climate change, kai sovereignty and wellbeing in whānau, and the actions they can take to resist and heal from climate change events such as Cyclone Hale and Cyclone Gabrielle.
Healthy Families East Cape imagines a Tairāwhiti that is sustainable and resilient, so that it can nurture and grow kai with whānau at the centre.
“Our tūpuna lived in harmony with the taiao, guided by kōreo tuku iho. We are not just responding to the impacts of climate change; we are reviving the ways of our tūpuna to ensure that our mokopuna can still grow, gather, and hunt kai in a thriving environment.” – Jade Kameta, Rautaki Māori.
If you would like to know more about the research or have any pātai, then get in touch with George Kingi at george@healthyfamilieseastcape.co.nz and we can advise of any future hui with Otago University.