Itiiti rearea, teitei kahikatea ka taea.

Although the rearea (bellbird) is small it can ascend the lofty heights of the kahikatea tree.

We have used this whakataukī in relation to ‘kai motuhake’ to encourage us with the thought that if a small bird such as the rearea can expend its energy to find abundance of food and achieve its goal, then surely, with focused effort we can also, together, achieve Kai Motuhake in Aotearoa.

To celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori and the release of our Kai Motuhake resource –Kore Hiakai invited Kaea Tibble, co-author of Kai Motuhake, to share some of his insights on food sovereignty in the context of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Kaea Tibble, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa, was kairangahau with Kore Hiakai Zero Hunger Collective from Dec 2021 to Dec 2023, while also studying law, te Reo Māori and anthropology at Te Herenga Waka.

First and foremost, I want to acknowledge that I don’t consider myself an expert when it comes to kai. I don’t grow or gather my own kai, and like many, I rely on supermarkets for most of what I eat. I think it’s essential to start from that point because it highlights a much broader conversation around Māori Kai Sovereignty. Acknowledging this is key—and I invite everyone reading to also reflect on their own relationship to kai and their role in the journey toward Māori Kai Sovereignty. Kore Hiakai recently published a valuable resource on this topic – learn more about Kai Motuhake: Re-indigenising and Re-localising Food Systems here.

There are people who have dedicated their lives to restoring the connection between communities and kai and educating others about how to reclaim that relationship. I want to honour their work from the outset because their knowledge is foundational. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of the Kore Hiakai kaimahi, surrounded by people embedded in social service and kai sovereignty.  During my time there, I also took an anthropology paper on food, which deepened my understanding of the complex connections between kai and sovereignty. My lecturer, Dr. Amir Sayadabdi, made a profound point that has stuck with me:

“Food may be central to our lives, but it’s rarely treated as such.

Food isn’t just about nourishment; it reveals social, cultural, and political dynamics.

Where we eat, what we eat, and with whom we eat can expose issues of power, equity, and belonging.”

In Aotearoa, when we talk about kai, two things stick out to me: hononga (connection) and manaakitanga (to look after and hospitality). These concepts are central to the role kai plays across iwi, hapū and mārae. Feeding and nourishing people is a core expression of hospitality and mana in Māori culture, a key responsibility of leaders to their people. While these practices have evolved, these values are still integral to kai today. Despite many of these practices continuing, they are often overlooked and not present in today’s commodified food system.

The truth is, nobody truly owns food—it’s a basic right that belongs to everyone, not something to be bought and sold at the expense of people’s welbeing. Kai isn’t just about nourishment - it carries a mutual responsibility. We are entrusted with the care of each other and the environment that provides for us. The way that food has been monopolised and commodified has severed our traditional relationships with it. This is where tino rangatiratanga over land sovereignty becomes crucial.

 Control over food begins with control over the land

Under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori were guaranteed tino rangatiratanga over our kāinga, taonga (tangible and intangible), lands, forests, and fisheries, yet the actions of the Crown have consistently intentionally refused to acknowledge nor uphold this. While the government has at times attempted to use Te Tiriti for political point-scoring, it’s important to remember that the document was never meant for such purposes. The ongoing divisive rhetoric only widens the gap between the Crown and Māori, undermining the potential for a partnership that truly empowers Aotearoa.

The conversation around food sovereignty is, at its heart, a conversation about the deeper relationship between the land, the moana, the people, and Te Tiriti. Only by restoring that connection can we hope to uplift everyone involved.

Whether food sovereignty and kai motuhake mean the same thing really depends on who’s controlling the narrative when considering Aotearoa’s food system. In my experience, the term “food sovereignty” can shift depending on context—it doesn’t have a single, fixed meaning. While both terms relate to the right to control food systems, kai motuhake, has a deeper cultural significance.

Kai motuhake speaks specifically to the Māori context, where the relationship with land and kai goes beyond ownership or control—it’s about maintaining the practices and values of our tūpuna (ancestors).

This distinction is critical when considering Aotearoa’s food system because it highlights the cultural layer that must be respected when addressing food sovereignty. Just as tino rangatiratanga differs from Western ideas of self-determination, kai motuhake cannot be boiled down to a purely economic or political term—it’s inherently tied to cultural identity and the whakapapa of food.

There’s a whole system of mātauranga Māori and tikanga that shapes the role kai plays in te ao Māori, and that role persists today. The more we can ground ourselves in these values, the better equipped we will all be to approach kai sovereignty in a way that benefits everyone.

Kai motuhake is about reclaiming the relationship between people and their local kai, although there are barriers we must overcome to achieve a equitable food system. Speaking about these barriers to kai sovereignty in today’s political climate can feel like opening Pandora’s box. The undoing of policies that previously supported our most vulnerable communities is having a devastating impact on equitable access to kai.  Despite this, remember our tūpuna navigated far greater challenges than what lies ahead, and we have inherited their resilience. There is work to do, but kotahitanga - a unified approach - is the way forward.

Reclaiming our relationship with kai is a crucial step toward ensuring a future where everyone has the right to food.