Mahinga kai at the heart of the Mana-centred local food system.
Some thoughts from #EatNZKaitaki Fiona Williams, an Associate Registered Nutritionist who currently works for He Puāwai Trust, building resilient local kai across Te Awa Kairangi / Lower Hutt.
What excites me most about this mana-centred local food system is the focus on mahinga kai and wild food. In my mahi running workshops for cooking/kai kit (meal packs), I have found that whānau have a real appetite for this across Te Awa Kairangi, particularly with Māori whānau, as this enabled kōrero about the connection to te taiao, tīpuna and mana enhancement. We have had beautiful moments with whānau in cooking/kai kit workshops using wild and community/homegrown kai.
One highlight was a rangatahi loading her plate with onion weed, delighted to have discovered this new food. It’s great to see light bulb moments, like when someone said, “what we are gonna be eating weeds?” Then after tasting said, “That's yum as! I've been pulling this out of my garden....now i know! I'm gonna tell my family about this!” It's moments like this that plant a seed and that's what we are trying to grow.
A suggestion I have for the mana-centred local food system is a strong focus on non-commercial locally produced food. I think the learning spaces, community and school gardens, as well as people’s personal gardens, could become more prominent. These have the ability to enhance mana through shifting whānau towards food resilience and building communities. I think these spaces when done well could be another example of a food system innovation particularly for fruits and vegetables. Coupling education about community/ personal gardens alongside mahinga kai and wild food in the Last Mile Distribution can enhance the mana of whānau through resilience building and connection to kai production/sourcing.
Words by Fiona Williams. Learn more about Fiona’s mahi over on LinkedIn.