Te Kākano Māra Kai launched at Araiteuru Marae in Dunedin on a sunny Sunday in late September.
The overarching goals of the Māra Kai project are to advance Whānau Ora through a variety of objectives including ensuring healthy food choices are affordable, available and accessible; increasing the consumption of vegetables in the kāinga; promoting healthy eating and physical activity and reducing the impact of poor physical health and nutrition on whānau.
Along the way, the māra kai initiatives also enable an intimate connection between kai, whenua, wellbeing and connection.
“If I look back on my own family, there’s a long line of gardeners living off and on the land. Māra Kai is not new, but it’s rediscovering and trying to get people back growing food again,” says Wally Te Whaiti.
Te Kākano Māra Kai is being run by Kāi Tahu ki Otago Limited, trading as Tū Mai Ora Whānau Services, and was one of the first round of initiatives funded by Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu.
“Te Pūtahitanga is really excited by the ways in which the various māra kai initiatives funded across
Te Waipounamu are investing in whānau capability in so many different ways,” says interim Te Pūtahitanga CEO Helen Leahy.
“We see the tamariki playing round the marae, rangatahi entertaining us with kapa haka, whānau celebrating with shared kai, at the same time sharing all of their aspirations for rejuvenating the hāngī pit, growing kai for rongoā, for weaving and producing boxed gardens and terraced gardens. We’ve even a use for the gorse.”
The theme of the launch of Te Kākano Māra Kai was ‘in growing gardens we also grow whānau.’ In many ways it expresses the potential and the power of Whānau Ora. For more details have a look at our website: www.teputahitanga.org
Rangatahi during a kapa haka performance.
Seedlings from the new māra kai project.
Tamariki having fun at one of the marae.
