Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou.

Seek after wisdom for the sake of your wellbeing.

This whakataukī refers to the importance of continual learning. If you follow the path of learning, everyone around you benefits. We can challenge our beliefs, gain more knowledge for our kete, and share our learnings with whānau and friends, broadening our perspectives. 

Through some of the mahi Kore Hiakai does around the motu, we are often asked the following question: 

“What does Te Tiriti o Waitangi have to do with food?” 

It might be easier to ask; what doesn’t Te Tiriti o Waitangi have to do with food?   

Picture the 1840’s Aotearoa landcape, with its abundance of food and biodiversity thriving in symbiosis. Clearly, signatories to Te Tiriti o Waitangi understood the need for protection. Not only of their people, Māori, but also taonga, which includes waterways, whenua, land, and the taonga contained in those landscapes. 

By first signing He Whakaputanga in 1835 and later Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori intended that their sovereignty be recognised internationally.  That sovereignty was acknowledged in 1836 by the British and, in addition to the recognition of the sovereign flag, this enabled Māori to continue their extensive international trade with a form of legal protection.

A Te Tiriti o Waitangi approach to food acknowledges that Māori are rights holders, not stakeholders. Based in tino rangatiratanga contained in Article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, these rights have been reaffirmed by the Supreme Court and are recognised by the courts, cabinet, and legislation (although currently at risk). In accordance with tikanga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the principal “rights holders” in the natural resource space are primarily hapū, with ancillary or relational rights held by ahi kā/landowners and individuals, whānau, and hapū collectives/confederations [1]. This is how Te Tiriti o Waitangi holds kai.  

So, the next time you are fishing, diving, hunting, gathering or foraging for kai in the natural environment - think about article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how this relates to the kai you are about to consume.  Is it healthy? Is the environment pristine and pure?  Who has guardianship of this particular whenua? 

“If the promise of rangatiratanga was honoured by kawanatanga, food availability and access to healthy food would improve for Māori.” [2]

What does honouring the treaty look like for tangata Tiriti?

How can we make progress towards a food secure future for Aotearoa? 

Know about the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi – in both Māori and English. They are relevant for all of us. 

We invite you to extend your mihimihi and add to it the mana whenua names of your landscape and how they might relate to kai where you reside, play or work. This encourages our use of te reo, honours the mana of kai and its relationship to the mahi we do, the people we support and the land we reside in.  

For example, Kore Hiakai is based in Tinakori Road, Te Whanganui-a-Tara.  When we do our mihi with manuhiri, after we have paid respect to mana whenua, we acknowledge the original name of Thorndon, which is Haukawakawa, and Pipitea marae situated nearby. Pipitea relates to the incredible number of Pipi shells from feasting that the beach looked translucent. 

We acknowledge Te Ahumairangi, the maunga (mountain) immediately behind us that offers us protection, and on which there were once many kūmara beds. We also honour the many awa (rivers) that flow through this part of our landscape, including Kaiwharawhara - a reference to the abundance of the Tī Kōuka trees which provided much kai.  

The honouring of our stories and te reo landscapes keep reminding us of where we are situated both physically and spiritually. By acknowledging the people before us and their deep environmental connection that links names to the whenua, we sense how the land connects us to ourselves. We all have a contribution we can make, give it a go, and keep learning more. 

Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou.

By Moko Morris, Pou Māori, Kore Hiakai Zero Hunger Collective.