He kai kei āku ringaringa.

There is food at the end of my own hands.

Championing Te Rēo over the weeks of Mahuru Māori

Te Wiki o te Reo, 12-18 Mahuru 2022

Back on the 1st of August 1980 many marched the Capital streets with a determined call for equality. As the hikoi in Te Whanganui-a-Tara unfolded, passionate pleas were heard across the motu, ultimately landing in a buzz at Beehive. Those who marched were fiercely advocating for Māori language to have equal status with English – although it would take another seven years before Te Reo Māori would become recognised as an official language of Aotearoa. (English does not have this status. There are two official languages in Aotearoa New Zealand – Māori and New Zealand Sign Language)…. read more here.

māra and mahinga kai network

Earlier in 2022 MSD Food Secure Communities distributed funding to food security initiatives across Aotearoa. Some of those who received funding were Kaupapa Māori organisations implementing Māra and Mahinga Kai projects. It is so exciting to see Te Ao Māori leading the way in our food security journey. This month Kore Hiakai initiated a Māra and Mahinga kai network to gather those doing this mahi together so we can share ideas, matauranga and tautoko each other. Kaea Tibble, Kaiawhina at Kore Hiakai, is facilitating this.

If you are a Kaupapa Māori rōpū and wish to be part of this network, please get in touch kaea.korehiakai@nzccss.org

afpm invitation to onboard

After a year of piloting, testing and refining, Kore Hiakai have launched our dashboard recording the number of food parcels being distributed by community food organisations across Aotearoa (only one pilot organisation currently recorded).

We invite all foodbanks and community food distributors to now formally onboard with the Aotearoa Food Parcel Measure (AFPM). This will help us to understand the amount of food being distributed through community food organisations across Aotearoa, as well as help gain further momentum on the movement towards a healthier and more food secure Aotearoa. Check out our Onboarding Guide or contact tammie.korehiakai@nzccss.org.nz for help.

While many of you have informally used the Nutritional Guide to help with food parcel compilation, as an onboard organisation you would use the AFPM to calculate the number of food parcels you distribute. Many of you already gather data for your MSD Food Secure Communities funding accountability; we are asking you to provide Kore Hiakai with this monthly data too (which will be shared through our dashboard).

changes to afra board chair

In addition to hosting their AGM earlier this week, the Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance (AFRA) farewells board chairperson, Matt Dagger – General Manager, Kaibosh.

“Matt Dagger is General Manager of Kaibosh Food Rescue which operates in Wellington, the Hutt Valley and the Kapiti and Horowhenua Regions. Working in Community Development over the past 10 years, Matt thinks there can be nothing crazier in this world than quality surplus food being thrown away when people don’t have enough to eat. Matt sees Kaibosh’s food rescue service as an important contribution to community groups that are working hard to help the less fortunate whilst minimising needless food waste.”

While he may be stepping down from his AFRA role, our threads with Matt weave much deeper – as a friend, through previous and ongoing mahi connections, and as a steadfast ally within the food rescue and food security space.

Nga mihi maioha, Matt! Our journey and adoration of what you do continues… Kore Hiakai look forward to welcoming the new chairperson soon!

zero food waste challenge

Did you know as a nation we waste enough kai to feed all of Kirikiriroa (Hamilton) for an entire year? (some estimate more). World Food Day is coming up next month and as we reflect on the 20% or so of our population who experience food insecurity, we’ve all been invited to join the Zero Food Waste Challenge – coming up from 19-25 September. For a full week you will be challenged to not waste or throw away any kai (or kai scraps).

You can do it on your own or with your organisation – you can even challenge others too, and the Kore Hiakai kaimahi whānau are in! (if you have tamariki or rangatahi, get them to join in by participating in the World Food Day poster contest). We’ve signed up here for the Zero Food Waste Challenge and challenge ALL of you too! Check out the the web link for more info. We’ll be sharing our efforts (and maybe a few struggles!) along our way. Keep an eye on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages for updates.

community-lead change training

There is a learning and evaluation training session being offered āpōpō – Wednesday 14th September, for effective community-led change.

“This online session focuses on practical tools and approaches you can use in your everyday community-led mahi.” Learn more or register here.

seeds for september

The Heritage Food Crops Research Trust have a great opportunity for whānau to get their hands on Heritage Tomato and Bean seeds for September planting. “If you want a full basket at harvest, now is the time to request FREE TOMATO and BEAN SEEDS” (of course a koha always helps sustain what they do too).

dig deeper

This month: māra planning and pūwairakau tips

 In our last pānui we mentioned now is the time to start aerating, feeding and prepping your soils for Spring planting. We shared Edible Backyard tips and this month we love these māra planning and pūwairakau tips from Te Waka Kai Ora!

There are also great tips on how to create natural home-made liquid fertilisers too (and you might also like an article they shared, Decolonizing Regenerative Agriculture: An Indigenous Perspective).

Te Waka Kai Ora have their online Annual General Meeting this month on the 24th Mahuru. Check out their website for AGM details here.

think links

This month: data

This month we have been looking at data. Responding to food insecurity consumes such a significant part of many working lives. Digging into data can be like going down a rabbit hole - hence, here are some data sources you might find useful (and it may save you a few laborious searches!): 

• Nga mihi to the charitable organisation Figure NZ who make it easy for everyone to use data. We searched using keyword ‘food’ and came up with more than 100 data sets. Figure.NZ are also behind Pātaka Raraunga: data for and about Māori (the tools page takes you to other Māori data tools and there is a Pacific specific site – the Pacific Data Fale of Aotearoa too).

• The Ministry of Health Survey is updated annually and now includes data on food insecurity for children. Check out their data explorer for more details.

• The Ministry of Social Development have summary data about all their services, as well as interactive data about income support. This includes ‘food’ under special needs grants.

initiatives in action

NEW SECTION!

SDG #2 Zero Hunger

The Zero Hunger Sustainable Development goal calls for:

• Zero stunted children under the age of two

• 100% access to adequate food all year round

• All food systems are sustainable

• 100% increase in small holder productivity and income

• Zero loss or waste of food

The Sustainable Development Goal to “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” (SDG2) recognizes the inter linkages among supporting sustainable agriculture, and includes empowering small farmers, promoting gender equality, ensuring healthy lifestyles and other issues within the 17 SDGs.

All throughout Aotearoa there are many responses to support those who experience food insecurity, and those working towards food security and kai sovereignty. Achieving SGD #2 requires purposeful strides towards eradicating hunger altogether and sustaining food secure communities, with responses needed across sectors. We will begin sharing initiatives from various spaces we’ve discovered, and championing those with targets towards SGD #2.

This month: University of Canterbury

Have a look at one tertiary outlook, whose initiatives span across their campus and curriculum - from their community gardens to a food foraging virtual map.

Valuing and honouring the beautiful diversity of Aotearoa helps us all to grow as a nation bonded by our Te Tiriti partnership. As we value each other, we discover more ways of learning, more ways of knowing, and more about our own and each other’s capabilities. As a nation, we must continue to grow in our understanding of our national identity, language and culture.

Kore Hiakai celebrate ALL the differing communities within Aotearoa having dignified access to enough affordable good kai, with autonomy and self-determination with our food systems. We are deeply seeded in our commitment to celebrating all and to creating sustainable solutions for a food secure Aotearoa.

Mauri ora.

Kore Hiakai Mahi Whānau