Eat New Zealand

This is a big one for me. We've spent the last 9.5 years holding space for, imagining and creating a food system and culture that makes us all proud to be New Zealanders. We've held activations, events, lobbied, advocated, researched, contributed and celebrated. Perhaps more than anyone, I realise how close we are to losing so much. Losing our farmers and fishers, our breeding programmes and our natural food systems, our hospitality businesses and community organisations. Losing our uniqueness from increasing global food homogeneity and disconnected commodity-based markets. Aotearoa is an extraordinary food nation. Our indigenous food systems, our natural abundance, our Manaaki, our creativity and the way we turn up to the world's table. The way we could feed ourselves and our children to thrive and embrace a positive future. We utterly refuse to let go of this vision. But we cannot hold it alone. We need your help, and we need a collective show of strength. Now. Join us.

The restaurant with the most stars in the world. ✨ Nice one Tourism New Zealand, we love it when you celebrate our kai, and recognise the unique story-telling of food in context of place. Even prouder to see this in my own region's back yard. Awesome mahi ChristchurchNZ

Such beautiful mahi here from Adrian Woodhouse and his team at The Food Design Institute at Otago Polytechnic. Incredibly proud Eat New Zealand has supported or inspired even a small part of their journey for them. These young chefs and story-tellers are the future of our food culture, and they fill me with hope. Our challenge this year was to imagine a food system that didn't rely on inequity of access, and their profound understanding of the reprocity of food and place inspires me so much. Have a watch! https://lnkd.in/gq9Gxm3b

That's our Eat New Zealand Feast Matariki season wrapped for another year. Sharing some of our favourite photos and stories in this newsletter. Thank you to everyone who supported us, or cheered from the sidelines. We're really proud to amplify these stories of our food culture here in Aotearoa. https://lnkd.in/gR8b8qq9

Wonderful to see this article in the weekend paper about our Kaitaki (next gen food leader) chef Josh Hunter. We're gearing up for our big hakari or feast tomorrow evening as part of Eat New Zealand's Feast Matariki celebrations. It will take place in the North Quad and Great Hall of Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre in Ōtautahi Christchurch. You can also catch Josh lighting the fires for the feast on TVNZ's Breakfast programme tomorrow (Thursday) morning about 6:20am. The feast will feature other Māori Kaitaki, including three winemakers (Tawhiti, Lilli, and Huntress wines) another chef (Matua Murupaenga), and an independent fishers Tora Collective. Also artist Ngaio Cowell. Other Kaitaki whose ingredients will feature includes farmer Phil Varley. All lead by young Kai Tahu legend Reece Harrison. We'll be using a whole pig from Poaka, a Canterbury pig farmer with a micro-abattoir and butterfish from spear-fisher and Kaitaki Tim Barnett. Shout out also to Te Whare Ra wines for the support and Jason Flowerday who whakapapas to Te Atiawa o Te Waka-a-Maui. What an incredible ecosystem we've collectively created. From farmer, fishers, winemakers, event organisers, artists & chefs. Couldn't be prouder. Looking forward to setting hearts (and not The Arts Centre) on fire tomorrow evening! Article here: https://lnkd.in/g9UH47n9

I'm really excited about all our upcoming Feast Matariki events, but there's one in particular, as someone from Ōtautahi Christchurch, that I wanted to highlight. It happens next Friday at 4pm, on the shortest day of the year. The Shortest Hīkoi, from The Arts Centre to the river, will be led by Makarini Rupene, an experienced mahika kai practitioner who lives and breathes Kai Tahu customary knowledge and practice. His (and his whānau's) history in this part of the city is one I suspect many of us have never heard about. Afterwards we'll head back to Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre, where one of Aotearoa's most exciting wild food chefs, Adam Harrison, will warm us up with a snack menu that includes things such as an acorn and horopito chai. I have been back in Waitaha Canterbury for almost two decades but our food story here continues to excite and inspire me on a daily basis.

We're reimagining our food system this Matariki! Drawing on the wisdom of Kai Hau Kai, we're imagining abundance and a place where there is enough for everyone this Matariki. I love the kōrero pūrākau or story-telling of these magnificant stages and feasts. Beyond our events at Te Matatiki Toi Ora or The Christchurch Arts Centre, we have two national activations as well - Our Kai Stories and The Shortest Meal. Join us! It's a hopeful, delicious, warm and welcoming place to gather.

There is so much we can gain from having a co-designed, strategic approach to our food system. I believe that until we take this step we'll continue to have unforseen & adverse outcomes. We all deserve so much better than that. Looking forward to speaking to this at E Tipu: The Boma Agri Summit https://lnkd.in/gWrz_C-u