Manaaki is a social enterprise of Omaka Marae in Marlborough, and is part of the marae’s overarching vision, “Pā Orā, Pā Wānanga, which is centered on whānau transformation through the creation of a thriving and sustainable marae.
We produce a range of handmade Māori infused condiments, which are inspired by the ‘aunties of the old’ – Queens of Manaakitanga, who always kept the pataka filled with preserves, chutneys and sauces.
The name Manaaki is inspired from Manaakitanga. This means hospitality, kindness, generosity, support – the process of showing respect , generosity and care for others and how we make them feel welcome. This goes back a long way at Omaka Marae. It’s what we’ve been taught by our kaumatua (elders) and in particular the matriachs of our marae.
Matariki to us, is a time to come together, pause, reflect and acknowledge. Being a social enterprise, we felt this was a perfect time to give back to some of our unsung heros in the community and celebrate them with a special red carpet dinner – Aroha ki te Tangata.
The lights were dimmed, the candles lit, the red carpet rolled out, and on the rise of Matariki the Aunties hosted an intimate dinner for some local lockdown legends who went above and beyond in our community. They were shown a night of manaakitanga including an exclusive tour through our carved meeting house, a kōrero about Matariki, followed by some talented young Māori entertainers. The menu was specially designed and created to perfectly compliment our products and ensure they were the stars on the plate.
Nau mai Matariki te matahi o te tau – Happy Matariki everyone
Words by Wendy Rogerson of Manaaki
For more info about Manaaki find us on:
Email: kiaora@tastemanaaki.com
Photo Credit and more images over on : Facebook & Instagram.
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Story gathered by Kaitaki Collective members - Michelle Barry & Tom Hindmarsh. Owners of @emeraldwines Winemaker and an Agroecologist.
We are Tom and Shellie, together we run our little wine company Emerald Wines. Tom currently works as Assistant Winemaker at The Coterie and Shellie is at Bragato Research Institute where she is working on a number of projects related to regenerative agriculture. Arriving in Aotearoa from Éire in 2015 Shellie’s background in agri-environmental and soil science, combined with her experience working with farmers and love of food provided her with a platform to start a career in the wine industry. Our wines are all Marlborough made and we aim to make our wines in a way that lets the terroir of Te Tau Ihu speak for itself.
We both love wine and food and the people and places that are behind them.. Our perfect Saturdays are spent at Robin Hood Bay diving for Paua and shooting Butterfish, cooking in the boot of our car and sharing Kai with our friends under the stars.