How might we support local wāhine on the effects of food insecurity by improving their connection to land, through fresh produce, whilst upholding kaitiakitanga?
Food Insecurity means to have insufficient access to fresh, nutritious food within a persons diet, often stemming from financial constraints or other barriers.
1/3 of Aotearoa's Pacifica and Māori communities are moderately food insecure. A high percentage of those are wāhine. The effects of food insecurity lead to low levels of mental and emotional wellbeing, as well as the connection to land/environment and roots.
Hauhake is a planting kit designed for local wahine to help restore their wellbeing and provide an aid in the cost of fresh produce. The kits will be given out to charitable organisations and distributed to our local wāhine.
The kits include:
- x2 Biodegradable Planter Bags
- x1 (9L) Dehydrated Soil Block
- x2 Seed packs
- x2 Plant Name Sticks
- x1 Watering Can
- x3 Tools
- x1 Guide
Alongside the kits, there are accessible workshops for wāhine to attend where they are able to explore practices like raranga putiputi, a traditional Māori weave to keep as a taonga. This is a way for wāhine to connect and engage in ancestral knowledge, preserve Māori practices, create cultural exchange or reignite their identity. The workshops are overall designed to ground wāhine and boost their mental wellbeing.
Harakeke tikanga (the flax plant in New Zealand). The flax is used for Raranga and is a significant taonga in Māori culture. The practice of this within the workshops are used to uplift this creative tradition and is not there to claim ownership or to alter the practice.
