Pērā i ngā mea katoa o te ao Māori, he whakapapa tō ā tātou kai. Katoa ngā kararehe, ngā kohuke, ngā harore, me ngā tupu - mohoao me te ngaki - he hononga motuhake tō ērā ki ērā anō me ngā tai, me ngā whetū me te marama, me ngā atua, arā, ngā atua Māori.
Mō te hia rautau, i mua noa atu i te urunga mai o ngā kupu "raupapa kame" (food chain) me te "pūnaha hauropi" (eco-system) ki te reo Pākehā, i āta titiro ngā Māori ki tō rātau taiao kia kitea ai aua hononga. Te tukunga iho ka waihangatia he pūnaha mō te whai kīrehe, me te kohi kai, me te ngaki māra, me te tāroki hei whakaū i te toitū o ngā rawa.
I runga i ngā huringa o te āhuarangi e pā ana ki te whakaputa kai puta noa i te ao, me te utu toiora e piki taupū ana, he maha tonu ngā akoranga kei roto i te mātauranga Māori mō te manawaroa āhuarangi me te whakamāmā i te pāhekeheke o te kai.
Ko Te Pourewa tētahi o ētahi kaupapa māra kai i Tāmaki Makaurau. Ka tū e teitei ana i ngā hiwi o te huarahi o Kepa i Ōrākei, he wāhi tino pai tērā ki te whakatū pourewa hēteri, ā, he tirohanga ōna ki ngā maunga i te rāwhiti, te tonga me te hauāuru. Kei te taha o ngā pārae te whare whakatupu otaota me ngā māra a Ngāti Whātua. E rima tau ki muri ko taua wāhi te kāinga o te St Heliers Bay Pony Club, ā, he mea rīhi atu e te hapū te whenua ki a rātou.
Tōna 20 tau e whanake ana te tupu o te ngahere tāone me te kanorau koiora i ngā wāhi tūtata. Kāore i te pai, i te kino rānei ngā hua o te whakatō rākau taketake i ngā whare whakatupu otaota o te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau. Kīhai i kaha ētahi momo ki te urutau te whenua, nō reira, i tīmatahia te tiki tautaiao i te rohe ake, ā, ka tīmata te whakamakuru i taua wāhi tonu. Hei parepare ināianei ēnei tupu taketake huri noa i Te Pourewa, me Takaparawhau, e anga atu ana ki ngā pari i Ōkahu - kei reira anō hoki te marae o Ōrākei e titiro whakararo atu ana ki Te Waitemāta. .
Ka āwhina te tiki tautaiao i ngā kaipāmu, me ngā tāngata, me ērā atu marae ki te whakatō me te whakatupu tupu taketake nō ō rātou ake ngahere. Kua riro tēnei hei mahi matua a Ōkahu Rākau, te whare whakatupu otaota ki Te Pourewa. Kei reira e āta poipoia ana ngā kākano, ā, ka tukua atu ki te ao e “māmā tupu”, e Wendy Watts.
Nā te reanga o ngā kaumātua a Wendy i ako. "Ahakoa te mahi e mahia ana e rātou, i noho ahau ki tō rātou taha. Tino pai ki ahau te oneone!” tāna kī mai i runga i te ngākau nui mai.
I te taha o ā rātou ake tupu i tīkina tautaiaotia, tata ki te haurua o ngā momo taonga o Te Pourewa i ahu mai i Kōanga i Te Wairoa, he tohunga rātou ki ngā kākano nō tuawhakarere. “Ka homai e rātou he kākano ki a mātou i runga i te whakaae kia eke panuku tō rātou whakatupuria, ka whakahokia aua kākano ki a rātou kia kawe tonutia taua angitu ki mua. Pērā i ā mātou taewa waiporoporo kei kō.”
I tino waia ngā tūpuna o Wendy ki tēnei tikanga o te whakatō anō i ngā huaone, pēnei i te taewa me te kūmara, mō ngā huanga kai o te tau ka whai ake. “I a koe e hauhake ana ka whakaaro tonu koe ki ngā huanga kai o te tau e haere ake nei, kaua ki ngā hua ka kai koe ināianei. He rā hiakai pea tō ō tātou tūpuna i ētahi wā engari i mōhio rātou ahakoa he aha, ka penapenahia e koe ētahi huanga kai mō ngā huanga kai ā tērā tau, ā, ka whakapunitia hoki."
“Ka tiakina e mātou ngā mea tino pai, kaua ngā mea kino,” te kī a te kaitiaki whenua, a Levi Makoare. Ko ia te kaitiaki i ngā māra huawhenua nui e pātata tonu ana ki te whare whakatupu otaota. “Kāre e taea e koe te whakamahi i ngā rīwai me ngā kūmara kua kino te mea karekau ērā e ukauka mō te tau. Ka pahemo te kotahi tau ka tukuna e mātou ki roto i te onepū e mahana ai, kātahi ka tīmata te tupu o ō rātou tupu (pihi).”
“He koi te hinengaro,” te mihi a Wendy mō Levi. “Ka kakama ia ki te ako i te mātauranga, kia kotahi noa te kī kua mau katoa i a ia.”
Ko te reo e whakamahia ana e te tokorua ki te kōrerorero mō ngā tupu o Te Pourewa e whakaatu ana i ō rāua whakaaro he whanaunga ngā tupu. Arā, ko ētahi he “pēpi”, ko ētahi “he taiohi” ko ētahi atu “he kaumātua”. He wairua ngāwari tō ētahi, me te aha he ngāwari tonu ki te whakatupu, ko ētahi atu ia he upoko mārō, ā, kāore e hiahia kia tirohia. ka matea e ngā “tupu kaumātua” – arā ngā tupu nunui pēnei i te rimu me te tōtara – te moe, te mahana, me te haumaru.
"Ina pōuri tētahi tupu ka mōhio tonu koe. He rite tonu rātou ki a tātou. Mā te titiro noa ki a rātou koe e mōhio mehemea kua māuiui rātou. Ā, ka taea e koe te rongo atu, nō reira he rite tonu tā mātou pā ā-ringa atu ki a rātou,” te kī a Wendy i runga i te ngākau mahara atawhai.
Ka whakamahi Te Pourewa i te hiko kōmaru, ā, ka hopu wai ua, waihoki, he pae parakore, he pae paturiha kore anō hoki. Ka tohu a Levi i te maha o ngā tupu okeroa kua whakaputa anō i ngā rau hou i muri i te whāngaitia ki te miraka waimeha.
“He nui tā mātou whakamahi i te comfrey, te karengo, te tāhi kānga,” te kī āpiti e Wendy “Ka kōrero tonu mātou ki ngā tāngata ehara i te mea me hoko whakahaumako koe, kei roto kē i tō kīhini. Ngā kiri panana – me toutou ki te wai wera, ā, kia mātao te wai, whakamahia. Koirā te konurehu e matea ana e rātou. E whakamahi ana i ngā wai ki te horoi i ō raihi. Pēke tī. Kāwhe. Mā te titiro ka whakatau he aha ngā hiahia o tēnā, o tēnā.
Ngā tupu ārai riha - pērā i ngā kōwhitiwhiti me ngā momo huhua o te marikōura - ka rārangi aua tupu i ia tāwaha. I Diwali, ka haere mai te hapori Īnia ki te tango i ngā marikōura ki te mahi i ngā whakarākei whetiwara.
"Ina kī mātou māra hapori, ko te katoa o te hapori tā mātou e kōrero ana."
Ka whakamātau ngā kaimahi o Te Pourewa ki te toha atu i ō rātou mātauranga waiwai ki tō rātou hapori, he hakahaka iho te utu o te tīmata me te tauwhiro i te māra i tō te nuinga o ngā tāngata e pūmāramarama ana. Ā, kei reira a Wendy, Levi me ētahi atu kaimahi ki te āwhina.
"Ka hoatu e mātou ki a rātou ngā mea e mate ana rātou. E whakamātau ana mātou ki te whakaako i ngā tāngata ehara i te mea ko te utu – māu tēnei me tō ora me tō wairua. He maha ngā tāngata ka uru mai ki tēnei kaupapa. He huarahi pai ngā tupu ki te kite i a koe anō.”
Ahakoa kei te whenua rōnaki Te Pourewa, kāore tonu ia i mawhiti i ngā pānga o te waipuke i te tau 2023 me te kino o te marangai. Tōna haurua o ā rātou huanga kai i ngaro. Ka hoki whakamuri tā rātou titiro ki ngā akoranga o mua, ka whakatō anō i ngā māra huawhenua ki roto i ngā ahu, pērā i tā ō rātou tupuna i mahi ai, hei tiaki i a rātou i ngā wai hōpua.
Ka tukua ngā huawhenua e whakatupuhia ana i konei ka tukuna ki ngā kaumātua o te rohe, ā, ka whakapuakina e rātou ō rātou tōmina ki ngā kai ka whakatupuhia ko ngā kamokamo me ngā pūhā ngā kai e hiahiatia ana e te marea). I ngā wā e tū ana he tangihanga me ētahi atu taiopenga nunui ki te marae o Ōrākei, ka haere atu ngā kaimahi o Te Pourewa ki reira e whakapuni ana i ngā kai, me te āwhina anō hoki ki te taka kai. Tērā anō hoki he māra hapori, ka taea e ngā kainoho ā-rohe te whakatō māra me te kokoti i ōna hua. Kei reira Te Pourewa me ana kaimahi whai pūkenga ki te āwhina i a rātou.
“Kei te tuwhera tonu ngā māra o konei i ngā wā katoa, ko te whare whakatupu otaota anake ka katia i te wā e matangaro ana mātou i konei, hei tiaki i ngā tupu i ngā māuiui,” te kī a Wendy. "Heoti, e pai tonu ana kia haere mai te hapori katoa ki konei, ahakoa te wā."
Kei te whai Te Pourewa kia manatokohia i raro i te kaupapa o Hua Parakore - he pūnaha whakatupu tupumāori i hangaia e tētahi kairangahau ko Tākuta Jessica Hutchings me Te Waka Kaiora, he rōpū tautoko i te mana motuhake mō te kai, e tautoko ana i ngā kaupapa māra kai, me te ahuwhenua me te ahumāra kāore e whakamahi ana i te paturiha, i ngā whakahaumako me ngā rauropi raweke ira (GMO). Koia te pūnaha taketake tuatahi mō te whakamana i ngā kai tupumāori mā te whakamahi i ngā uara taketake me ngā mātāpono Māori.
Ko tēnei te tuhi a Hutchings i tāna pukapuka, Te Mahi Māra Hua Parakore: “I Aotearoa nō tātou te tika hei iwi taketake ki te kai i ngā kai o te whenua me ngā arawai o ō tātou tūpuna. Mā tātou tēnei tika e kerēme, mā te whakaputa i ā tātou ake kai ka whakahokia tō tātou hononga ki te taiao māori. He mea nui te whakapakari ake i te kanorau koiora o ngā oneone, ngā tupu, me ngā momo e ora ai ō tātou pūnaha kai māori."
Ko tēnei ngākau titikaha ki te kōkiri i te mana motuhake mō te kai me ngā pūnaha kai ā-rohe ka riro hei pouhere mō te kaupapa kai ā-motu, a Eat New Zealand. Ka whakatenatenahia e te rōpū monihua-kore te mahi tahi i waenga i ngā wāhanga katoa o te pūnaha kai o Aotearoa, e kōkiri ana i te neke atu i te 130 ngā kaiārahi kaitiaki kai puta noa i te motu, nō ngā aramahi huhua rātou pērā i ngā kaiwhakatupu, ngā kaipāmu, ngā kaitunu, ngā kaipupuri wharekai, ngā mātanga toiora, ngā kairangahau me ētahi atu. E ngākau titikaha ana rātou ki ngā ōhanga kai ā-rohe me te hanganga hōu.
Ko Jono Thevenard (Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Maniapoto) tētahi o taua hunga, he kaitao, he rangatira pakihi takirua o ētahi whare kai rongonui o Tāmaki Makaurau ko Pici, ko Ōh-fa me te wāhi hoko wāina, a Tappo. He kaingākau hoki ia ki te whai kīrehe, ki te ngaki māra, me te ruku moana anō hoki.
“Ko taku whāinga ko te mōhio he aha te whakapapa o aku kai,” hei tāna. “Koirā te kaupapa te iho o Eat NZ – arā, te whakatata atu ki ō tātou puna kai me te whakakore i te takawaenga.”
Ko te “takawaenga” tāna e kōrero ana ko te hokomaha mana tokitoki takirua o Aotearoa, arā, a Foodstuffs me Woolworths Group. Kua titiro ngaio tā rāua arokore ki te whakataetae me ngā utu tino nunui i te hāro tonutanga ake o te utu toiora.
“E whakamātau ana ahau ki te whakamahi i ngā mea e kīia ana he kīrearea ki Aotearoa, ahakoa he kina, he tia, he warapi rānei, he maha tonu aua mea kei te puku o Te Ika-a-Māui ināianei. He rauemi nui, kāore anō kia whakamahia, ka whaihua te taiao i tērā. Kī tonu te ngahere. Kua rerekē pea ngā mea nā te mea kua rerekē tō tātou āhuarangi me te kanorau koiora, engari ka taea e tātou te urutau me te whai wāhi ki te whakautu."
I ana wharekai, ka ahu mai ngā parāoa hemorina i tētahi mira i Wairarapa. Nō tētahi kaiwhakarato tahawhenua ā-rohe ngā hēki. Nō Grey Lynn Butchers ngā mīti, ā, ko ana hua he ā-rohe, he tupumāori, he tahawhenua anō hoki. Nō Awatoru Wild Foods ki Kapiti ngā ika me ngā kikotia i hopukia i te ngahere.
“Nā [Scott McNeill o Awatoru] taua hononga i whakaū nā te uru mai i tētahi rā. I kitea māua e māua anō i runga i te kōtui pāpori. He wāhi nui tō te kōtui pāpori i te āhua o tā mātou waihanga i te whatunga o ngā kaiwhakarato kai.”
Ka whakaingoatia anō hoki e ia ngā kaihanga wāina Māori, a Huntress me Tawhiti, hei wāhanga nui o taua whatunga - i tupu ake ēnei hono ā-whaiaro i runga i te whakapono tahi ki te noho aumārire i runga i te whenua.
Engari ko ētahi hua kei waho i taua hōkai i tēnei wā, e kī ana ia me te manawapā. “Me hoko tonu mātou i ngā miraka me ngā huawhenua mā te kaihokorau. I a koe e whakahaere pakihi ana me rite tonu te auau mai o te tae mai o ngā hua, nō reira, he uaua mārie, hei tauira, kotahi anake te kaiwhakarato mō ngā aniana.”
Te āhua nei tē taea rawa Jono tana moemoeā te whakarite kia ao mai, engari e kī ana ia, he rite tonu te kite i tēnei i te nuinga o ngā tāone nunui.
"Ka tutuki pea ngā mākete kaipāmu i ngā Rāhoroi i runga i te āhua whai moni, engari ka pēhea mehemea he wāhi nui tō tātou, ā, i roto i te katoa o te wiki te huhua noa o ngā kaiwhakarato e hoko ana i ā rātou hua - arā, he kaiwhakarato mīraka me te tīhi, ngā hua rerekē?” Ka kōrero ia mō ētahi tauira e rua, arā, mō Borough Market ki Rānana me Growers Market ki Poi Hākena. Ka whakamārama ia kei ngā wāhi katoa o Ūropi me Āhia ērā.
"He tino rawe te hapori Āhia, me te hapori Īnia kei a tātou. Ka titiro koe ki te rongonui o te mākete o Avondale me te hunga kei reira e hoko mai ana, e hoko atu ana anō hoki. Kua rawa ā tātou kaiwhakarato, kirihoko anō hoki ki te whakakī pūmau i tētahi wāhi mākete.
Kua tautohua e ia tētahi whare putunga nui, te āhua nei kāore ōna kainoho, i Pamorere e tata ana ki te mahi a ngā tūnga waka e riro ai a reira hei wāhi tino pai.
"Kei te hiahia noa ahau kia ki tētahi ringaoha kia whai wāhi mai, arā, tētahi tangata he nui āna moni" hei tāna, me te kī anō hoki e kore pea te kāwanatanga e whai wāhi mai ki te āwhina.
I te mutunga o te rā ko te hapori me te kaupapa "ana whakaohooho", e ai ki tāna.
"Kāore koe e whai i tēnei mō te moni," ka kata ia. “Ehara i te mea ko te moni te whāinga. Kei te pīrangi noa ahau kia rangatira tonu taku noho, ko taku pīrangi anō hoki kia noho pēnei anō hoki taku hapori.
Ahakoa ko te kaupapa kōkiri i te mana motuhake mō te kai, ko te whai momo rāwaho, ko te whiriwhiri rānei i te wāhi kai ki te kai tina – ko te hononga, te toitūtanga me te tino rangatiratanga ngā pou here o te aroā e tupu ana ki ngā pūnaha kai ā-rohe. Ko te mea nui, ko te haepapa, e ai ki a Wendy Watts o Te Pourewa.
“Ehara ahau i te kaitiaki nō te mea i whānau ahau he Māori. He kaitiaki tātou katoa.”