A collective of Kai innovators and entrepreneurs who are pioneering new ways of achieving kai sovereignty and the reclamation of traditional practices to form a new localised kai ecosystem in Tāmaki ki te Tonga
kai innovators ecosystem
Kai Innovators is a collaborative initiative that brings together the efforts of Maori & Pacific-led Food Innovation leaders within the South Auckland region. The purpose is to capture food innovations that are working well to increase equity, food security and food sovereignty in the communities they serve.
Uniting Food innovation leaders will create an opportunity to articulate and enact a regenerative and sustainable local lead ecosystem. This initiative is guided and facilitated by Kootuia and has been supported by Foundation North and Auckland Council as the project sponsors.
meet the innovators
Paula Unger
Kei te kaingākau ahau ki te pai o te taiao. Ko Paula Unger toku ingoa. He co-ordinator au i Sustainable Papakura.
Urban Edible Ako Ako Storytelling Project Plan aims to capture the essence of the Urban Edible Ako Ako project, in order to further promote kai supply awareness, innovation and resilience.
Luella Linaker
My siblings and I were raised by a solo dad in Manurewa and although we had little, I don't remember being hungry.
We work with whānau to manage their fruit trees and distribute surplus produce to the community. Our app will let people find nearby fruit trees and homeowners can post when there's extra fruit available for collection. This is the start of creating a street side supermarket with low or no-cost
Kelly Francis
Whenua Warrior focuses on Mahinga Kai, Community Engagement and Environmental Conservation using mātauranga Māori and hua parakore principles.
We help grow kaitiaki to protect our taonga and work with whānau, hapū, iwi, marae, schools and governments to support communities and the environment. Our maara kai practices enable whānau and hapū to grow their own food, promoting healthy and culturally rich lives.
Mia King
We're creating a social enterprise facility that processes surplus commercial harvests, rejected exports, supermarket leftovers and community garden produce.
The first part of our project is to incorporate homesteading style food education such as canning, fermenting, dehydrating, freeze drying for the home and local businesses.
Mel Browne
A challenging but rewarding life experience that shows what's possible when you believe!
I aimed to build a secure workspace inside a refrigerator made from EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) for cultivating hydroponic greens. This setup allows me to regulate light, temperature and humidity to ensure ideal growing conditions consistently throughout the year.
Ra & Kim
In response to urban changes like vertical housing we created aeroponic towers for efficient, sustainable gardening in small spaces.
Our mission is to help whānau become more sustainable and self-reliant. We wanted to come up with an alternative way to grow kai that makes fresh produce more accessible and expands on the idea of traditional gardening.
Kathleen Ng Shiu
E ngākaunui ana au ki te awhi kaitiakitanga - My passion for what I do is to help guardians in their role.
Polynator Kaiways is a project rooted in kaitiakitanga, focused on nurturing and safeguarding creation. Our goal is to create a network of schools to provide a sanctuary for pollinators. When kaitiaki is engaged, everyone benefits!
Kristian Paullay-Beazley
Growing bananas, taro and kumara on ancestral Māori land while integrating sustainable permaculture practices and honouring our Māori atua is important culturally and spiritually.
These three foods symbolise the sacred "Wholly Trinity" or Ngā Tapu ē Toru, representing foundational elements of Māori heritage and identity. Drawing from childhood experiences and ancestral wisdom, the aim is to reconnect with the land and address current disconnection from nature.