What is Food Security?
All people, at all times, have agency and access to enough good* food.
Each and every person in Aotearoa has the right to dignified access to enough good food.
*Good food is - affordable, nutritious, enjoyable, wairua nourishing, and inclusive of traditions, beliefs, and cultural practices.
Towards a Food Secure Aotearoa
Food security for Aotearoa is achievable. It is about Kotahitanga - taking an all of society approach. We need solutions which recognise that food insecurity is driven by systems, but is experienced by people and planet.
All systems are human made so we can use our collective power and creativity to imagine and implement different ones that allow all to thrive. Ending food poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand will require a collaborative approach and deep commitment – which makes use of numerous, innovative, interconnected, cross-sector initiatives and policy changes.
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“All people at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficent, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle.” (United Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation, 1996)
Food security happens when we can all make informed choices to eat sufficient, nutritious, sustainably sourced, culturally appropriate food. We know where our food comes from, and how it is produced and made available to us.
Food Security is not only about food – it is about resilient community, adequate housing and income, affordable food, short supply lines, access to land & knowledge to grow kai and more.
Read more: Realising Food Secure Communities - through building sustainable local food systems, that support mana whenua aspirations and that include a diverse range of stakeholders across the food system, including those most impacted.
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Temporary Food Insecurity: Caused by a sudden shock, such as a natural disaster, for which the response is intended to be temporary. By temporary, we mean no more than 16 weeks.
Chronic Food Insecurity: Caused by systemic issues including inadequate income and high cost of living. This is food-related poverty.
You might also hear terms such as; food relief, food assistance, food aid to talk about similar ideas.
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“The right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.” (2007 International Forum for Food Security)
Empowering people, as individuals and as groups, to make their own choices about the food they eat, where it comes from, how it is produced and their relationship to its production.
Food sovereignty is intrinsically linked to land sovereignty. In Aotearoa it is therefore linked with honouring Te Tiriti o Watangi.
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In attempting to describe holistically how to achieve food sovereignty and food security across Aotearoa, Kore Hiakai lean into the concept of ‘Kai Motuhake’ (the ability to self-determine our food systems). Kai Motuhake is becoming a term used among some communities and food spaces as more and more of us seek authentic descriptions. Read more: Kai Motuhake - Re-indigenising and re-localising food systems: A starting place to tackle the legacy of colonisation in Aotearoa.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi reminds us Māori sovereignty or tino rangatiratanga (the right to self-determine) is essential to addressing the inequity that Māori continue to experience through ongoing colonisation. Therefore, to realise food security for all in Aotearoa, we look to Kai Motuhake to bring that about in all its fullness.
Kai Motuhake calls for the deciding and determining of your own pathway for food, relevant and particular to you, your people and your location, remembering that Māori views are collective, intergenerational, and interconnected with te taiao (the environment). Kai Motuhake includes different approaches for different people but is always centred around what suits the local context, mana motuhake (self-determination), while considering the world around you.
Right now
15 - 20% of whānau continue to struggle to access affordable and nutritious kai.
Food insecurity is growing. In recent years, the number of people experiencing food-related poverty has grown significantly, peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. While no longer at the peak levels seen during that time, demand for food assistance remains twice as high as it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many people are unaware or may not understand the full extent of food insecurity in Aotearoa. So, how bad is it? Why is it getting worse? What can we do to fix it?
The Pathway to Food Security
Realising food security in Aotearoa takes more than food.
Food insecurity is linked to gender, race, ethnicity, colonisation, breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, migration, income, and equity. These are both historical and present-day issues, deliberate and unintended, yet all are real and impact a significant proportion of our population.
When we offer food assistance to someone, we are meeting their current need for food but this does not address the poverty that is causing that need.
The pathway to food security requires a multi-systems approach which:
actively engages in decolonisation and reindigenisation
dismantles systemic inequities
builds resilient community
universalises adequate housing and income
ensures affordable food for all
shortens food supply lines for communities
ensures access to land & knowledge to grow kai and more.
Until we can address the broader systemic issues that perpetuate poverty, food insecurity will continue. People need food and we need a whole-of-society approach with big picture solutions.
What does food security look like…
In our communities/hāpori?
People know the food stories of their region, including those of Mana Whenua.
Wherever you live, there are plentiful food options that are economically, physically, and socially accessible.
There are opportunities to participate in public spaces where fresh produce is grown, such as community gardens, orchards, food forests, and māra kai. Sharing knowledge around food cultivation.
Accommodation is affordable, public transport is accessible, and the living wage equivalent is the legal minimum.
In our environment/te taiao?
Indigenous models of self-determination are celebrated and resourced.
Food production prioritises sustaining people, the environment, and producers, before profit. Biodiversity is thriving.
Reducing over-production and food waste in all areas of our food system and strengthening the food supply chain to redistribute surplus food effectively.
Localised organic waste collection for composting reduces our greenhouse gas emissions footprint.
In our economy/taiohanga?
Adequate wages to pay for accommodation, groceries, transport, and healthcare to support our families.
Thriving local food initiatives led by Iwi, Hapū, and communities.
A robust national food supply connecting all areas of Aotearoa and supporting Hua Parakore, regenerative, local food production to build community resilience.
