Kai traditions: growing, sharing and saving seeds

Long before supermarkets, people in Aotearoa grew, gathered, hunted and fished for every meal. What they ate, and how they shared it, still shapes kai traditions today.

Kai Māori

The ancestors of Māori brought plants with them on their voyaging waka from tropical Polynesia, including kūmara, taro, uwhi (yam) and hue (gourd). Aotearoa was much colder than their homelands, so kūmara grew only in warmer areas and was carefully stored over winter in rua (storage pits). Māori also gathered aruhe (fern root), birds, fish and shellfish, and berries such as karaka and tawa, which needed careful preparation.

The hāngī

In a hāngī, stones are heated in a fire, placed in a pit, and topped with food, then covered with leaves, wet cloths and earth. The trapped steam cooks enough food for a crowd over several hours. Pacific peoples use similar earth ovens, called umu in Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands.

Sharing kai

In te ao Māori, providing kai for guests is a key part of manaakitanga, showing care and respect. A hākari (feast) after a hui or tangihanga brings people together and lifts the tapu of the formal part of the day. Many cultures share this idea: the Samoan Sunday to'ona'i after church, dumplings made together for Lunar New Year, and sweets shared at Diwali. Eating together builds belonging and trust.

Saving old varieties

Over the last century, supermarkets came to stock only a few varieties of each fruit and vegetable, chosen because they travel and store well. Hundreds of older varieties were nearly lost. Groups such as the Heritage Food Crops Research Trust in Whanganui collect heritage apples, tomatoes, beans, kūmara and more, research the natural compounds in them that may benefit health, and give away thousands of seed packets so people can grow them at home. Some whānau have kept their own taewa (Māori potato) varieties for generations.

Kai and you

Your food choices connect you to your whānau, your culture and your land. Knowing where kai comes from, and sharing it, is part of hauora too.