Hana Burgess & Haylee Koroi in conversation with Naomi Simmonds
Co-hosted by Toi Tangata & Te Kōmata o te Tonga, The Deep South National Science Challenge

In this webinar, we bring to the fore a whakapapa conceptualisation of kai, one that centers whanaungatanga – being in good relation. When we talk about kai, we are talking about the food we eat, but through whakapapa, the concept ‘kai’ evokes the many layers of whanaungatanga that constitute kai – whanaungatanga ki ngā atua, ki te taiao, ki te tangata, ki a koe anō. Here, the concept of whanaungatanga – being in good relation, is brought to the centre. 

In centering whanaungatanga, we recognise that for our generation being in good relation with kai requires seeing through, and beyond, settler colonialism. Therefore, this kōrero will also seek to expose some of the ways that settler colonialism, and the imposition of hierarchies of race, class and gender, continue to damage and disrupt our relationships with kai. 

Through whakapapa, kai is a call for intergenerational vision. It is a call for community and solidarity. It is an acknowledgement that kai is not separate from te taiao, kai is te taiao. Being in good relation with kai is acknowledging the expansive ways that kai nourishes us.

In conversation with Naomi Simmonds from Te Kōmata o te Tonga, The Deep South National Science Challenge, this webinar invites us to deeply consider our relationships with kai, to immerse ourselves in the intergenerational intimacies that kai evokes.

Kaikōrero

Haylee Koroi

Haylee Koroi (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) Kaiārahi Kai Māori Kai Ora started her mahi with Toi Tangata through the project ‘He Kai Kei Aku Ringa’ in 2020. Since then her mahi around kai has deepened and expanded and now includes research on local food systems alongside marae, co-led kaupapa kai alongside knowledge holders and grassroots collectives, and celebrating the kai stories of whānau. She is a gardener of many years, following after her aunties, nan, and great grandmother and is enjoying growing kai in the Hokianga alongside kaumātua.

Hana Burgess

Hana Burgess (Ngāpuhi, Te Roroa, Te Ātihaunui a Pāpārangi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) (she/her) is a kaupapa Māori researcher, teacher, and creative. Based in the Hokianga, her work explores whakapapa and Māori futurisms. Namely, how we can be in good relation with our tūpuna and mokopuna, and envision futures beyond the confines of settler colonialism. Her work centers the importance of theory and citational practice. Hana is currently completing her PhD at Te Kupenga Hauora Māori, University of Auckland, and spends her free time in the māra with Haylee.

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