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Kai hau kai
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TitleKai hau kai
DescriptionIn Mātauranga Māori (the holistic and dynamic Māori knowledge system), the meaning and significance of its concepts extends further, deeper and wider than the simplistic ways they are often commonly defined.
An example is 'kai hua kai' which is described as the exchange of food. Integral to this concept linked to mahika kai (food gathering sites, traditions and methods) is the way people are connected to the environment and to each other.
For the people of Kāi Tahu, 'mahika kai guides the gathering and preparation of food from the land and the sea. Kai hau kai is the cultural practice of sharing and exchanging food, underpinned by the values of kaitiakitaka, manaakitaka and whanaukataka, honouring the balance of the ecosystems and communities that sustain us.' (Ron Bull and Simon Kaan, Kaihuakai Collective, 2022).
The work of the Kaihaukai Collective upholds customary Kāi Tahu mahika kai practices and values. They say that '[b]y preparing, gathering, eating and sharing traditional foods, [they] provide a way to learn about and connect with whenua, awa, roto and moana, supporting the continuation of cultural practices and transfer of knowledge.' Their description highlights the wider ecological connections of people and mahika kai, across the land and waterways (rivers, lakes and oceans) and within te taiao (the natural world).
For Ngāi Tahu academic Dr. Dione Payne, kai hua kai is a practice of reciprocal obligation, of giving and sharing resources, stories, knowledge and skills in a way that maintains connections with others in a community as well as honouring the mahika kai environment. In practice, he says kai hua kai is 'foundational to intergenerational knowledge transfer of mahika kai'.
“In a wider context, kai hau kai is indivisible from mahika kai and the environs they are harvested from. The reason for this is that every aspect of mahika kai and te taiao has a whakapapa, a relatedness, that stretches back to our creation stories...[F]lora and fauna have a whakapapa that links its people to the environment. In protecting te taiao, through protective measures, the reciprocal exchange is its nourishment of the people. The greater the protection, the more bountiful and fruitful the exchange.” (Dr. Dione Payne, 2020).
DescriptionIn Mātauranga Māori (the holistic and dynamic Māori knowledge system), the meaning and significance of its concepts extends further, deeper and wider than the simplistic ways they are often commonly defined.An example is 'kai hua kai' which is described as the exchange of food. Integral to this concept linked to mahika kai (food gathering sites, traditions and methods) is the way people are connected to the environment and to each other.
For the people of Kāi Tahu, 'mahika kai guides the gathering and preparation of food from the land and the sea. Kai hau kai is the cultural practice of sharing and exchanging food, underpinned by the values of kaitiakitaka, manaakitaka and whanaukataka, honouring the balance of the ecosystems and communities that sustain us.' (Ron Bull and Simon Kaan, Kaihuakai Collective, 2022).
The work of the Kaihaukai Collective upholds customary Kāi Tahu mahika kai practices and values. They say that '[b]y preparing, gathering, eating and sharing traditional foods, [they] provide a way to learn about and connect with whenua, awa, roto and moana, supporting the continuation of cultural practices and transfer of knowledge.' Their description highlights the wider ecological connections of people and mahika kai, across the land and waterways (rivers, lakes and oceans) and within te taiao (the natural world).
For Ngāi Tahu academic Dr. Dione Payne, kai hua kai is a practice of reciprocal obligation, of giving and sharing resources, stories, knowledge and skills in a way that maintains connections with others in a community as well as honouring the mahika kai environment. In practice, he says kai hua kai is 'foundational to intergenerational knowledge transfer of mahika kai'.
“In a wider context, kai hau kai is indivisible from mahika kai and the environs they are harvested from. The reason for this is that every aspect of mahika kai and te taiao has a whakapapa, a relatedness, that stretches back to our creation stories...[F]lora and fauna have a whakapapa that links its people to the environment. In protecting te taiao, through protective measures, the reciprocal exchange is its nourishment of the people. The greater the protection, the more bountiful and fruitful the exchange.” (Dr. Dione Payne, 2020).
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Kai hau kai. Selwyn Stories, accessed 05/04/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/6697
