Behold Tupuānuku, of the fertile soil, spread your plenty across the land.

Reveal the bounty of Rongoā, Indeed!

We see and feel heartened by Tupuānuku, one of the nine Matariki stars connected to our kai and our rongoā that are grown in the soil or harvested from the ground. At this time we gently remind ourselves of, and reflect on, the importance of our soil and all the life forces it contains that contribute to our harvests, nurturing and producing our kai atua.

He kai kei aku ringaringa.

There is food at the ends of my hands.

In Aotearoa, food prices are soaring, contributing to a cost-of-living crisis, while some of our most productive food producing regions are struggling to provide their staples, following the natural disasters we experienced earlier this year. This is just the latest in what has now been years of crisis response – which some are now calling a poly-crisis. Continuing to focus on fighting the fires is only going to get us so far.

He taonga te hauora.

Health is wealth.

Kore Hiakai Zero Hunger Collective has a vision of a healthy population where all people thrive and have access to enough nutritious food that not only nourishes our bodies but feeds our souls too.

Te Wiki o te Reo. 12-18 Mahuru 2022.

Whakanuia ō tātou toa reo Māori, e 50 tau ki muri nei.

Honouring our Māori language champions, 50 years on.

Me te wai korari.

Like the nectar of the flax flower.

At the heart of any community in Aotearoa you will find a strong sense of hospitality and compassion – manaakitanga and arohatanga. When mishaps happen with our neighbours we tend to reach out and offer what we have to uphold them during their time of need. We might make a meal or soup; drop in kai or share from our gardens; or sometimes donate to a foodbank. This has always been evident in our nationwide DNA and collective sense of identity, and it was especially evident through our responses to COVID 19.

Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora a mua

Those who lead give sight to those who follow,

those who follow give life to those who lead

There is more than one way to cook a potato – and there is more than one way to create a food resilient community.

There is a whakatauki that speaks to kai production, ‘iti noa, he pito mata’, referring to a small uncooked portion of kumara replanted to produce many more.

In other words, with care, a small seed can sustain many people. From this whakatauki, we not only draw on the notion of potential from the seed – or kumara, but the fundamental interconnected relationship between our soils and people.

Waiho i te toipoto kaua i te toiroa.

Let us keep close together not wide apart.

As summer fades and autumn arrives, here at Kore Hiakai we begin a new season as Wayne Paaka, our Pou Māori, moves on with his sights set on new horizons. While we say our goodbyes, and support Wayne as he transitions into his new role, we take this opportunity to mihi him, and to champion all he has done in our space for Kai sovereignty. 

Since the worldwide COVID pandemic began during 2020, continuing its impact throughout 2021, it was evident from the beginning Aotearoa did not have a consistent way of counting the rising number of Food Parcels being distributed (or a standardised practice within the sector to quantify nutritional adequacy).

Many of us are optimistic and hungry for an Aotearoa where everyone has dignified access to enough good food, although lately times have been tough. As COVID lockdowns continue to have an impact on food security, we have seen community resources go down, workloads go up, and uncertainty rise.

This world is a much better place for all the good people who authentically do good. Volunteers especially are often the extended threads in many of our champion stories. They are frequently woven into spaces where funding is constrained and resourcing limited, genuinely helping to make an invaluable difference.