Pataka Kai

We face a biodiversity crisis and a climate meltdown. Our food systems are broken, our soils are depleted and our seeds are owned by global corporations. Meanwhile colonial capitalism dictates the mainstream response to these crises, drowning out Indigenous perspectives and solutions, yet Indigenous practices and understandings of kai (food) offer important pathways to ensuring ecological, cultural and socio-economic sustainability as well as greater connection to kai in our everyday lives. This book salutes Indigenous food heroes from across Aotearoa and neighbouring islands in Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa who take a holistic approach that considers the interconnectedness of people, land and food. Their inspiring stories show how change begins locally and on a small scale. Written by verified hua parakore farmers, activists, Indigenous researchers and Indigenous food sovereignty leaders Jessica Hutchings and Jo Smith, Pataka Kai encourages a return to Indigenous values and practices to achieve kai sovereignty and well-being for Mother Earth and her people.

Author Biography

Dr Jessica Hutchings (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Huirapa, Gujarati) is a senior kaupapa Māori research leader, author, activist and Hua Parakore grower who lives on a small whānau farm in Kaitoke, north of Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. She is the founding trustee of Papawhakaritorito Charitable Trust, which works to uplift Indigenous food sovereignty through decolonising research, education and practice, and holds a PhD in environmental studies. She has worked for the past three decades in the Māori research sector, leading and supporting kaupapa Māori research to deliver transformation across diverse Māori communities. She is recognised internationally as a leader in Indigenous food sovereignty and food systems. She is the author of Te Mahi Māra Hua Parakore: A Māori food sovereignty handbook (Te Tākupu, 2016) and (with Jenny Lee-Morgan) Decolonisation in Aotearoa: Education, research and practice (NZCER Press, 2016) — both winners of the Kōrero Pono, Ngā Kupu Ora Aotearoa Book Awards. She has also co-edited (with Jo Smith) Te Mahi Oneone Hua Parakore: A Māori soil sovereignty and wellbeing handbook (Freerange Press, 2020) and (with Jo Smith and Fiona Cram) Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua: Maōri housing realities and aspirations (Bridget Williams Books, 2022).

Associate Professor Jo Smith (Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu) is a senior kairangahau Māori for Papawhakaritorito Charitable Trust who also researches and teaches at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. She has a PhD in film and media studies and is the author of various journal articles and books. These include (with Jessica Hutchings) Te Mahi Oneone Hua Parakore: A Māori soil sovereignty and wellbeing handbook (Freerange Press, 2020) and (with Jessica Hutchings and Fiona Cram) Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua: Maōri housing realities and aspirations (Bridget Williams Books, 2022).

Dr Johnson Witehira (Tamahaki, Ngāti Hinekura, Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tūteauru, Ngāti Hāmoa) is a leading Māori innovator working across art, design, technology and game development. As a director of IDIA and PAKU, and a board member of the NZ Game Developers Association, The National Digital Forum (NDF), and Te Korowai-o-Wainuiārua Trust, Johnson focuses on bringing Indigenous knowledge and creative thinking into contemporary design practices. His work spans multiple domains, from developing innovative AR experiences featuring atua Māori to revitalising tribal narratives through community-driven projects in the Ruapehu district. In all his mahi Johnson is committed to ensuring that Māori stories, values and tikanga continue to flourish in design and digital spaces.

Yvonne Taura (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Uenuku, Ngāti Hauā) is a kairangahau Māori for Manaaki Whenua — Landcare Research, Hamilton, and is completing her PhD with the University of Waikato. Co-editor of the online wetland handbook Te Reo o Te Repo: The voice of the wetland (Manaaki Whenua — Landcare Research, 2017), Yvonne focuses her research interests on working collaboratively with iwi and hapū to implement kaupapa Māori approaches and processes.