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Harvest Season - Feb Update 2022

Harvest Season - Feb Update 2022

Posted by —
eatnewzealand

Published —
21.02.2022

2022! Continuing the recent theme of difficult paths to navigate it seems.

Despite this, we’ve made a decent start out of the blocks bringing together some of our best bakers to work on a local grain economy and our Kaitaki have been working on their interpretation of the ideas that form the heart of Mana Kai; a values-based framework for New Zealand food. We’re looking forward to ‘harvesting' this mahi at the Eat New Zealand Hui and Eat NZ Grains events on May 3&4 in Ōtautahi. The theme for the Hui will be ‘Lots of Little’ ; which speaks to the resilience of small & diverse solutions in such uncertain times. We’ll be bringing together farmers, fishers, bakers, chefs and everyone in-between to imagine a hopeful future where we can celebrate our food culture with our delicious ingredients. Put it in your diary to join us! Tickets will go on sale in early March. In the meantime we implore you to support hospitality businesses however you’re able at the moment. It’s an incredibly tough time for them. Cuisine Magazine recently announced its Good Food awards and Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine announced NZ Winemaker of the Year Awards. Your local restaurant supports a number of other small businesses from food to wine producers. It’s an ecosystem worthy of your investment! Āpōpō ka tīkaro ō whatu ki Mahurangi - eat, for there may be no food tomorrow. Angela Clifford CE, Eat New Zealand

Eat NZ Impact Report: 2021

We've spent some time over the last few weeks looking back on our wins from 2021, and have pulled them together in one place.

If you'd like to be sent a Pdf copy of the Eat NZ Impact Report you can request one here.

Thank you to all those who continue to support our mission and kaupapa - we are so grateful for you! Also a special thanks to our 2020 Kaitaki and illustrator Priyanka Jayarajan @dwellsinthepast for her help in bringing this report to life.

NZ Bakers Day Out #EatNZGrains

Last week, February 2nd, we took a decent pinch of our best bakers into the wheat fields of Canterbury and asked them how they would like to contribute to a Local Grain Economy for Aotearoa.

Advocates for real bread and nourishing all humans, they are part of a bigger group keen to see some change in this part of our food system. They'll be an integral part of the Eat NZ Grains event on May 4th but also key in the overall movement.

Read some of the bakers first hand experiences from the day below...

Legends all.

#EatNZGrains #RealBread #LocalGrainEconomy

#EatNZKaitaki Mana Kai Stories

We wanted to share something our Kaitaki have been working on over the last few months. As a collective of younger New Zealanders, they represent all aspects of our food system and we asked them to consider the Mana Kai principles and what they might mean to them...Here's a sample of some of their ideas.

Teri Styles is a registered dietitian working at the Auckland City Mission Food Bank. She created a conceptual design for a social produce market here.

Hamiora Gibson is a bushman based in Tarawhiti/Gisborne who has written a powerful piece about what it is to be Mana Whenua; here.

Food technologist Milli Kumar has considered Mātauranga from the perspective of her cultural heritage: here.

Winemaker & hunter Jannine Rickards has considered the concept of Ngā nuinga: here.
Nutrionist Lydia Thomsen thinks that our natural world is intimately connected to Hauora: here.
Poet and eater Izzie Thomson has written a Mana Kai haiku; here.
Student and environmentalist Holly Bagwell considers Atua and the connection to our carbon cycle: here.

Baker Isabel Pasch consider Mātauranga and it’s possible connection to the European idea of guilds: here.

Vicky Young applies the bi-cultural lens of being a Chinese Kiwi to the Mana Kai framework. She is a chef and second generation New Zealander from a well-known market gardening family; here.

Chef Ethan Flack has recently returned to his turangawaewae Southland, after working in some of the world’s best restaurants in the world and considers Ngā Nuinga from the perspective of school children; here.

You can find the full collection of #ManaKai stories on our Eat NZ website under 'Latest News' or across our various social media platforms.

Read more from our Kaitaki around Mana Kai

NZ Good Food Awards 21 / 22

Our restaurants are an important home for our food stories. They connect us with the food from our place, to the food on our plate. But most importantly they connect us to each other. So recognising these establishments will always be an important part of celebrating the New Zealand food story. In the midst of a tough chapter for New Zealand hospitality - it’s amazing to be able to take a moment to acknowledge the commitment, passion and hard-work of some of our most talented culinary professionals.

A huge congratulations to all those who received awards and hats in the Cuisine Good Food Awards 2021/2022 announced earlier this week.

We loved the message from Lead Assessor Kerry Tyack around how... “The culinary scene is ever-evolving and it is important to us to recognise talents across more than just the traditional restaurant format…”. We also loved seeing a number of young female chefs being celebrated, as Cuisine Editor Kelli Brett mentioned “…in an industry that is typically dominated by men, it is inspiring to see these incredibly talented women leading the charge…”

We were particularly proud to see some of our Eat New Zealand Kaitaki and whānau recognised in these awards, including:
  • Jackson Mehlhopt, Chef at Tussock Hill Cellar Door in Christchurch -Awarded Rising Talent.
  • Sam Gasson, Chef/Owner of Moiety in Dunedin - Awarded a hat.
  • Vicki Young, Pastry Chef at Floriditas in Wellington - Awarded two hats.
  • Giulio Sturla, Eat NZ Founder of Mapu in Lyttelton - Awarded two hats.
  • Rachel Thwaites, Restaurant Manager of Sage at Paroa Bay - Recognised as One to Watch.
  • And a special shoutout to Asher Boote of Hillside and Daisy’s in Wellington who was Awarded the Champion For Change.
Find out more about the awards here.

It’s super important to support ALL restaurants at the moment. They have good reason to keep everyone safe, staff and customers alike. If dining in isn’t your thing, it can be something as simple as a meal shared outside, a pick-up or a gift voucher for a future time when everyone can be back together. If you want to see your favourite establishment on the other side of this, find a way to support them NOW.

Find out more about the NZ Good Food Awards 21/22
Eat NZ Founder and Chef Giulio Sturla of Mapu, alongside Rising Talent and Eat NZ Kaitaki Chef Jackson Mehlhopt of Tussock Hill Cellar Door.

NZ Winemaker of the Year 2022

This week Gourmet Traveller WINE Magazine announced the 2022 New Zealand Winemaker of the Year, with Nicholas Brown of Black Estate in Waipara Awards taking the top spot. An incredible achievement from this inspiring and highly respected winemaker in North Canterbury. Another of our Eat NZ Kaitaki, Winemaker Jannine Rickards of Huntress Wines in Wairarapa was also nominated. Check out more of the winners here and remember that by supporting local restaurants you also help support these talented folk.
Winner - Nicholas Brown of Black Estate in North Canterbury. #nzwine

Flavours of Plenty Festival: April

We're excited to see the inaugural Flavours of Plenty Festival emerge from the Coastal Bay of Plenty this year! Taking place from Thursday 7th April to Sunday 10th April 2022, the event will span from Waihī beach, Te Puke, Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Ōhope and Whakatāne. The theme is “plentiful produce”, and it all about showcasing our horticultural heroes and weaving a powerful connection from our place to your plates.

The festival programme features a mouth-watering menu of events, from workshops and demonstrations, degustations and pop-ups, restaurant nights and themed in-house menus, cultural and māra kai (food garden) events. All of the festival events will be under 100 people. Check out the programme and where to get yourself tickets here.

Tell me more about the Flavours of Plenty Festival!

Save the Date!

We're in the midst of planning how best to bring these events to life in 2022. But for now save these dates in the diary, so you can ensure you allow time to be part of the most important food conversation in Aotearoa.
  • Eat New Zealand Hui - Tuesday May 3rd, Ōtautahi/Christchurch
  • Eat NZ Grains - Wednesday May 4th, Ōtautahi/Christchurch
  • Matariki Public Holiday - Friday 24th June, Nationwide
If you'd like to be involved get in touch - angela@eatnewzealand.nz
We'd like to acknowledge the generous and ongoing support of our sponsors and partners including the Ministry for Primary Industries, ANZ, Our Land and Water, AgResearch & Anchor Food Professionals.



Here's some other food stories you might want to check out...

Atua by Holly Bagwell #ManaKai

Upstream from Slow Fish

Food Hui 2021 goes ONLINE

Red Hot Already! Mid Feb Update
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