Way Finding - August Update

We know that these are tumultuous and challenging times. It can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. At Eat New Zealand our core focus continues to be celebrating and connecting all aspects of our food system and strengthening the relationship between all levels of our culinary chain.

We believe that, now more than ever, it is crucial that we continue to connect farmers, fishers and makers with their eaters, to help share our uniquely New Zealand food stories and to work towards more resilient food systems. We have never felt more determined nor have we found more allies on our journey.

National Regional Food Workshop

Last week we held a workshop at ANZ bringing together eighteen different regions throughout Aotearoa who were interested in emerging and celebrating their food stories and connecting with each other. The synergies and opportunities to work together are significant and we believe there are wonderful things to come for New Zealand food in this space.

Food Hui 2020 - 19th & 20th October

Eat New Zealand began life as a day of talks about our food and the things that influence it. For that reason our Food Hui remains a hugely important date in our yearly calendar. This is our sixth consecutive annual symposium and it will be held at Te Papa in Wellington on Monday 19th & Tuesday 20th October, as a part of VISA Wellington on a Plate and co-presented with the Restaurant Association of New Zealand. Eat New Zealand presents Day Two on Tuesday October 20th, and we’ll hear from major thought-leaders from across our food system including: Food Tourism, a National Food Strategy, Slow Fish, our Kaitaki Collective and A Local Grain Economy for Aotearoa. If you want insight into what’s happening and the people making it happen - put it in your diary.

Slow Fish New Zealand

We're a South Pacific Island nation and our fisher men and women play an incredibly important part of our food story. Their history and contribution to our food communities has always formed part of who we are and how we see ourselves. Over the next month or so we’ll be celebrating them, and our wild fish through the international Slow Fish platform. Slow Food International can be found in over 160 countries. It is a global, grassroots organisation founded in 1989 to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions and to encourage an interest in the food we eat, where it comes from and how our food choices affect the world around us. Slow Fish is one of their major global initiatives that can be found throughout the world. What would it look like to have a new generation of responsible artisan fishing communities who reflect our unique place in the world? We’re excited to work with Slow Food in New Zealand, and while this might not be the best year to create a new separate event, we're going to find a myriad of ways to celebrate the people who catch our fish.

Celebrating our Food Heroes...

We’ve long been supporters of Nate Smith (Ngāi Tahu) & Gravity Fishing. It is because his purpose is to restore abundance of his takiwā, one of the great fishing regions of the world, off the coast of Southland. His commitment to the quality of the fish he harvests is incredible. Fishing to order, line-caught, iki-jimied, and to his customers within 24 hours. He is a total game-changer and is leading the resurrection of regional fisheries so we can eat our own fish and tell our stories to the rest of the world. This was recognised recently at the inaugural Seafood Sustainability Awards held by the Ministry of Fisheries where Nate was given the Emerging Leader Award. He is indeed a Kaitiaki o Tangaroa. Never one to rest on his laurels (or to rest at all), Nate this week launched his Gravity Experience allowing people the opportunity to learn more about his approach to his environment and the importance of our wild fish stocks. This is a unique opportunity to be part of the journey that leads from ocean to plate through the hands of some of our best guides and chefs. For Eat New Zealand, this is what Food Tourism should look like. Unique to us, and intimately connected to people and place.

National Food Strategy Webinar 3.0

Our powerhouse panel represented significant areas of our food system incuding agribusiness, hospitality and health. Thank you to Professor Boyd Swinburn - Professor of Population Nutrition and Global Health at the University of Auckland, Ian Proudfoot – Global Head of Agribusiness for KPMG International, Marisa Bidois - CEO of the Restaurant Association of NZ and Nadine Porter - Nuffield Scholar who produced a report titled "Broken Food Systems - Developing a Citizen Centric New Zealand Food Strategy". Each of these thought-leaders added their diverse perspective to this important conversation.

You can watch the previous webinar recordings here:

1.0 We Don't Need a Ministry of Food, We Need a Citizenry of Food.

2.0 Further ConversatioNZ about a National Food Strategy.

Next up in our ConversatioNZ series...

On Tuesday 8th September we will further the conversation about a National Food Strategy for New Zealand. Joining our CEO Angela Clifford will be Karen Williams - Vice President of Federated Farmers New Zealand. Further names to be revealed soon...

National Food Strategy ConversatioNZ 3.0 - Webinar via Zoom

Tuesday 8th September. 4pm - 5pm. Attendance is FREE.

Register via Eventbrite for the National Food Strategy ConversatioNZ 3.0

Share your thoughts...

What would you like to see as part of a National Food Strategy in New Zealand. We are looking for feedback around what you believe this could look like for all New Zealanders. We strongly encourage you to share your thoughts and take the survey.

Through the eyes of our Kaitaki.

Over the last few weeks we've been sharing a collection of beautiful, raw and compelling storytelling content shared from our Kaitaki collective. These young people were tasked with the role of unearthing the stories of their turangawaewae, their focus in July was Feast Matariki. It has been a privilege to witness these stories come to life and take the form of words, illustrations, Matariki-inspired menus, harvesting adventures, Instagram stories, opinion pieces, interviews, photos, self-edited videos, farmers market visits, product showcases, events and more. This has and will continue to be an important journey of discovery for all of us, and we hope you are inspired to hear more about what Feast Matariki looks like through the eyes of our Kaitaki. These Feast Matariki stories have been shared across our @FeastMatarikiInstagram account and on our Feast Matariki website. Take some time to listen, read and to observe the thoughts and feelings from this diverse range of voices. We can't wait to see what they unearth next month...