Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa.

Let us keep close together, not wide apart

This whakataukī speaks to the importance of keeping connected, of maintaining relationships and dialogue so that we can keep moving forward together.

Matariki has set below the horizon and we now begin the wait in the cold crispness of the emerging winter for the return of Matariki. A reminder to acknowledge the wisdom of what has been, to celebrate it and mourn what has been lost while we wait with hope to launch our dreams on the star of Pohutukawa at the end of June. The winter planting calendar reminds us that across much of Aotearoa, even in the frost, carrots can be planted in June. You will not see them for many weeks. But plant now, ready for a spring crop. An act of hope that even with the supposed barrenness of the winter garden, possibility and abundance lurks beneath the soil.

As winter creeps in, many of our community food distributors are welcoming more people within our communities to share the bounty of our foodbanks, community gardens, meals and co-ops. As the cost of living begins to seep across our communities and the austerity articulated and delivered by our government shapes our realities there is still warmth in the relationships that shape our communities and the generosity that sits at the core of who we are in this land. It is our manaakitanga, arohatanga, creativity and our willingness to forge meaningful relationships that can lead us to a place of abundance.

As we reach out to each other and connect so that no one goes hungry in this moment, there is also an opportunity for us to reach out and build unlikely partnerships in order that we can reimagine our food and equity systems away from perpetuating food insecurity and poverty, towards an Aotearoa where all can thrive. This is more than community food responses, this is whole food systems response. This is thriving local food economies, this is a celebration of mātauranga Māori, this is big food businesses feeding Aotearoa as well as feeding the world, this is seeing our tamariki and rangatahi eating well, celebrating diversity and thriving in their places of learning.

As we pull on our winter jackets, as we light the winter fires, as we share good winter kai, as we gather together to journey towards the celebration of Matariki - may we also feel the fire lit within us to strive for an Aotearoa where we all have access to good kai, the agency to choose that kai to reflect their our values and beliefs and people to share and celebrate it with. Mānawatia a Matariki.

What’s happening in the Kore Hiakai Zero Hunger Collective

Kai Rawa Trust - We are excited to announce that in April Pale Sauni was appointed to the Kai Rawa Trust that oversees the mahi of Kore Hiakai. It is wonderful to have Pale join us, disrupt us and encourage us. Many in the Pasifika space will know Pale from some of his other roles in the education space. Please feel free to reach out to him. We know his presence in our space will enrich this mahi we do together. Here is a little from him …

Talofa lava malo le soifua. I'm a Samoan-born senior educator who has a Social work background. My focus is on transformative ways of teaching and learning with a focus on pedagogies inspired through Pacific and Maori ways of being. My interest in the Kai Rawa Trust and Kore Hiakai is personal and community-influenced, because of the respect I have for the priority of food sovereignty in our future generations. I am married to Marlane and we are privileged to have four young adults and five grandees who teach us a lot about how to live our lives !

Ia manuia, fa'afetai!”

At the end of June we are looking forward to welcoming two more new Trustees of the Kai Rawa Trust.

Kai Motuhake - Re-indigenising and re-localising food systems – a starting place to tackle the legacy of colonisation in Aotearoa: This is something we have been working on for the last two years. In Kai Motuhake we explore the role of Tupuna knowledge, the impact of colonisation and celebrate the reindigenisation of the food system. We know there will be things to inspire, things to challenge and things you might disagree with. We hope that this will be a helpful tool for sparking conversations so that we may all be better equipped for our kai journeys here in Aotearoa. We are excited to be launching this for Matariki. If you would like to know more connect with Moko.

Connecting our food and equity journeys: Thank you to everyone who have connected with us over the last two months to share your food journey, your passion for addressing equity in Aotearoa and your willingness to dream for the future. We are so inspired hearing your stories and appreciate the opportunities to work alongside many of you as you address food security in your rohe across the motu. Thank you for giving us the privilege of doing this journey in proximity to you. Please do not hesitate to be in touch!

Aotearoa Food Parcel Measure (AFPM):

Kore Hiakai continue to collect data on the levels of community food distribution across the motu. This enables us to speak to government about the number of people experiencing food insecurity to keep the reality of the experience of poverty, inadequate incomes, and high living costs on the agenda until we resolve these. If you wish to add your community food organisation’s data to the Aotearoa Food Parcel Measure please get in touch.

Every 8 weeks Kore Hiakai hold a forum for those who contribute their data to the AFPM to listen to their insights, share ideas and innovations, and network on joint projects. From Wānaka to Kaitaia, from small and local to national social service organisations, this is a place of support and clarity. These voices combined help us connect lived experience to decision makers, provide a safe space to unpack what is happening in communities and be inspired by the innovation, tenacity, hope and compassion of so many.

Community Food Distributors Network:

Our community food distributors network meet in late April to share the wisdom and insight. Although April was a quieter month for food distribution, more food was distributed than this time last year. Most organisations are seeing a reduction in funding, especially government funding, a reduction in public donations and more competition with others organisations for philanthropic funding. Some are also seeing less rescued food as supermarkets get better at less waste.

Several organisations have had kaimahi move on from their time in food distribution. We celebrate all these amazing humans have given in this space, mourn the loss of their wisdom and expertise and wish them every joy for their next adventures. A special mihi to Micaela Van Der Schaaf (Auckland City Mission) and Danielle Cleverdon (Visionwest). We trust you both have wonderful new adventures!!

MSD Special Needs Grant Distribution: The group also reflected on the increasing number of referrals from MSD after whānau had been declined for a Special Needs Grant for food assistance. In response Kore Hiakai have done a quick scan of how often MSD are declining requests for special needs grants across the year March 2023 - Feb 2024. Please note these are not solely food grants. Read our short report here. We have requested further information around Special Needs Grants for food, to do a more indepth report later in the year.

local inspiration across the motu - Local Kai Strategies

It is awesome to see local groups continue to work on the framework and strategies many started during COVID. Murihiku and Waitakere released their frameworks in the last month. Both celebrate their local stories, people and wisdom. Meanwhile Auckland City Council and the Wellington region are both moving forward with pilot projects to help implement their frameworks. And Palmerston North City Council voted to embed a community kai frame in their long term plan.

Feeding Murihiku - On 30 April the Murihiku Kai Collective launched their regional kai framework celebrating people across their regional food systems, identifying barriers, possibilities and actions to move them towards being a food secure region. The stories alone are inspiring, as is the framework.

Mana Motuhake o te Kai - Healthy Families Waitakere alongside Hoani Waititi Mārae have been development a framework for kai for West Auckland over the last few years. In May they launched the latest version of that.

Puhinui Domain Orchard (Plunket Ave. Manukau) This new community orchard seeks to increase access to kai in South Auckland, and is located in the Puhinui Domain off Plunket Ave. The Orchard is a partnership between Auckland Council, Auckland University of Technology, Eke Panuku Development Auckland, The Urbanist, Pacific Vision Aotearoa and Puhinui School. It is part of ‘Te Whakaoranga o te Puhinui’ and the Eke Panuku ‘Transform Manukau’ programme – which seek to support the ongoing growth and well-being of Manukau and the Puhinui Awa. Read about it here! And a shout out to all who truned up to make it happen.

Grow to Share – Deconstructed Community garden - During the pandemic one of the key areas of concern was the ability for the community to access sustainable healthy culturally appropriate food supplies. This was an issue before COVID-19 and only deteriorated further. With the increase in inflation and everyday costs there is, once again, the spotlight on the need for kai resilience and security. This Programme aims to unlock church land for growing food. The inspiration originated from Pacific Vision Aotearoa organization. Watch St Peter Chanel 2023/24, Panmure Tongan Methodist Church  2022/23 or check out the RNZ Article : Tongans beating the cost of living through gardening club

Congratulations to Deborah Manning on her King’s Birthday honour of Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community and the environment - Kore Hiakai offer our congratulations to this wahine toa who has been a champion of food rescue, food relief and response to food insecurity for many years. She is the OG in the food rescue space and is unbelievable at making connections and finding solutions to wicked problems! Deborah’s mahi in this space has been driven by a belief that every New Zealander should have access to nutritious food, and people should not throw away food good enough to eat. Founder of KiwiHarvest & the New Zealand Food Network Deborah Manning started her food-sharing journey in Dunedin 12 years ago from the back of her green Honda hatchback. Now with KiwiHarvest branches in Dunedin, Auckland, North Shore, Queenstown and Invercargill, and NZFN delivering food to food hubs across the motu this mahi is still getting food to those who need it most! Kia mau te wehi Deb!! We love you & we love your mahi.

Inspiration from Toitū te Whenua, Toiora te Wai.

Kore Hiakai had the privilege of listening to some of the  Toitū te Whenua, Toiora te Wai – Our land and water projects recently at their hui.  Their objective, set by Government, is to enhance the production and productivity of New Zealand’s primary sector, while maintaining and improving the quality of the country’s land and water for future generations. Some of the resources describe how Māori ethics and values can drive entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability in primary production. Tangata Tiriti can explore this topic to deepen their understanding of te ao Māori (the Māori world view) Our land and water science challenge produced a smorgasbooard of Māori led exciting projects - here are a few below and we encourage you to explore the website to learn more.

Pā to plate: Marae communities from coast to coast in the Bay of Islands through to the Hokianga are transforming their lands into market gardens, some for the first time in decades. Grounded in their local geographies, hapū are participating in their own food sovereignty, sharing skills and kai. Toitū te whenua, Toiora te wai explored their success indicators.

Ngāi Tahu Senior Research Fellow Dr John Reid has worked for many years in the area of Māori land development, historical trauma and sustainable iwi development and the idea of the mutually binding nature of kaitiakitanga . Taking care of the relationships between lands, waters and peoples is a primary focus for John. Learn more about his work with Ngāi Tahu and his hope for a rise in kaitiakitanga practices that move beyond guardianship to acknowledge the mutually binding nature of landscapes, waterways and peoples. Learn more about it here.

Te Mana o te Wai -  Che Wilson convened wānanga gathering whānau from around the motu to create a space to discuss and further extend our understanding of the whakapapa and needs of our wai. These wānanga were essential to the drafting of the resources produced by the Implementing Te Mana o te Wai working group. As with all wānanga, the sweetness was experienced in person, however, this summary provides a small taste of the depth of the kōrero experienced. Mātauranga  Maori Wānanga overview report

Future Landscapes - Challenging the rural urban divide research into the space around our cities and towns and understanding our to treasure that the fertile land surrounding our cities we can make them more sustainably productive as well strengthen the relationships with those who grow kai. By being intentional about our future landscapes we can improve our food, housing and wellbeing all at the same time. Rethinking the Whenua Around our Cities Could Help Turn the Table on our Food Crisis.

Inspiration for Matariki

Feast Matariki - Ngāi Tahu and Eat NZ host Feast Matariki again with a focus on Kai Hau Kai . For Ngāi Tahu, Matariki was originally a way and place that people came together around food, celebrated abundance, feasted and traded excess. One of the features of these gatherings was a hakari or a stage upon which food was placed to emphasise abundance. This winter from the 19th - 27th June 2024, we're celebrating Kai Hau Kai as our inspiration for Feast Matariki. May you find a way to connect and celebrate the local indigenous kai with the mana whenua of your rohe. Matariki is the perfect time to pull up a seat and celebrate with kōrero and kai.

Mānawatia a Matariki!

Shortest meal on the Shortest Day - Another fabulous Eat NZ project this challenge is to celebrate winter soltice by eating local on the shortest day of the year 21 June by celebrating your local food economies. What a great way to encourage each other to be aware of the origin of our kai and to see if we can eat locally. It is also a great way to celebrate some of the Winter traditions from our Pākehā whakapapa that invite us to seasonally eat and slow cook to get the most flavour and goodness for what is on offer. What a beautiful way to remember some more of our origin and family stories from the Northern hemisphere. On the 21st June, it’s World Localisation Day and also the shortest day of the year, all during Matariki, here in Aotearoa New Zealand. It’s a great way to celebrate what you grow, forage & find, our small food producers, farmers markets and other retailers, community food projects or even just eating NZ grown food for a day!

Celebrate with us by creating a meal from your local food system and share it with us! Tag @eat.newzealand and @feastmatariki in your post and we’ll share. #EatNZ #TheShortestMeal and #GrowFoodCommunities.

Our Kai Stories a celebration of rangatahi & kai - With Matariki comes the invitation to dream for the future. At Matariki, Eat NZ are encouraging young people to write the kai stories of Aotearoa from their places of knowledge, joy and compassion. What a wonderful way for all of us to celebrate and engage in Matariki - by listening to mana whenua and celebrating our rangatahi, tamariki & mokopuna. Do you have a story about how you find or grow your food? If you’re 24 years or younger (or thereabouts), share your story with us on Instagram: @OurKaiStories and go in the draw to win some awesome weekly cash prizes.

You can share your story in any way: a poem, a short video, a piece of writing or a photo as examples*. If you aren't up for sharing content - we'd love for rangatahi to fill in our survey with questions around finding and growing their own kai.

All you have to do is tag us in to your social media posts on Instagram: @OurKaiStories, @Eat.NewZealand and @FeastMatariki or Facebook: @EatNZ or @FeastMatariki or email them to us hello@eatnewzealand.nz

Inspiration further afield - two important reports recently released …

Rebalancing our Food System - on Thursday 16 May the Public Health Advisory Committee released their report commissioned by the previous Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall. This report listened widely to people across the food systems and offers Aotearoa some pathways forward to creating a food system designed to help all in Aotearoa thrive. Rebalancing our food system

Fincap voices report - On Friday 17 May Fincap released their Voices report of data-led insights into the financial wellbeing of whānau supported by financial mentors. FinCap’s 2023 Voices report reveals among many other findings that:

• The cost-of-living crisis made access to food unaffordable for many whānau.

• Financial mentors supported more whānau. The numbers of whanau supported by financial mentors increased from 49,568 in 2022 to 69,807 in 2023.

• The amount of debt owed increased significantly in 2023. The median debt level presenting to a financial mentor in 2023 was $14,096 – an increase of $429 on 2022.

• Financial mentors help whānau increase their income by around $200 in the time that they work with the client.

  This comes at a challenging time for financial mentoring services. In addition to a $7 million drop in funding for the sector, dozens of financial mentoring services have just discovered that they will no longer be funded by the Ministry of Social Development. “This report shows the essential mahi that the hundreds of financial mentors across Aotearoa do,” says FinCap Chief Executive Ruth Smithers. It also shows the brave stories of so many whānau who are trying to balance limited incomes in order for their families to thrive. We champion the mahi of Fincap, their insights, but also the incredible whānau who use Fincap’s services who are championing their families.

Opportunities to dive deeper:

Intergenerational Intimacies: A Whakapapa conceptualisation of kai - This beautiful paper written by Hana Burgess and Haylee Koroi takes you into a deep and powerful way of engaging with kai through whanaungatanga, relationship. Inviting us to see our relationship with te taiao, kai, moana and tupuna as a way of decolonising our practices to enable abundance and healing. Here is the report toi tangata A whakapapa conceptualisation of kai and the webinar link.

Circularity - XLabs course in Nelson in August: Future of Food is a circular economy program for businesses looking to address the environmental impact of growing, harvesting, producing, delivering and serving their food. Apply today to build capability and start designing circular economy solutions for these challenges. Join as an individual or better yet, bring some friends to work on a challenge facing your business. Want more opportunities to collaborate with food businesses and global experts to redesign the future of food? Register your interest for the XLabs: Future of Food program 2024 taking place in stunning Nelson, New Zealand via the Registration. 

Thank you again for being with us on this journey as we work together to create a food secure Aotearoa. Mānawatia a Matariki, the Kore Hiakai kaimahi team.

Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa.

Let us keep close together, not wide apart