Kete Kai, a Māori business set up with the aim of helping whānau feed kids on a small budget is now running a program at Waikirikiri School in Gisborne, providing students with food kits to take home.
This initiative aims to help take the burden off poverty-stricken families struggling to buy food. It costs $49 a week and consists of ingredients and recipes to make three dinners for a family of six. The service is available every school term and is launching first at Waikirikiri School.
“What’s really special about Kete is that our protein source comes from under the shadow of Hikurangi itself,” Kete Kai chief executive Tui Keenan said. “So that’s good beef that’s harvested here, as well as our Ngāti Kai vegetables, which are also growing under the shadow of Hikurangi. So it’s quite special to have those food baskets come alongside to sustain our people. Our maunga is sustaining us.”
The programme was founded by local businesses. “The coming together of these local businesses firms up the foundation of the whakataukī that this kaupapa sits on, Keenan said.
“Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi. (With my food basket and your food basket the people will thrive forever.)”
The firms involved are The Waimata Cheese Co, Nati Kai, Supergrans Tairawhiti, First Light Farms and The Village Butchery. Their vision is for Kete Kai to be established in every school in Tairawhiti and Hawke's Bay.
SuperGrans community connector Heron Tangohau says "the kaupapa itself speaks of areas where a lot of our whānau are struggling".
"We know the rising costs of things around us and food is one of those things. It makes it really hard for whānau if we're talking about food security and food sovereignty. It makes it really hard for funding to achieve that when they can't afford the most fundamental basics to put on the table. So part of this initiative and certainly where SuperGrans is concerned is all about supporting kaupapa in initiatives that empower our people.”
So far 25 families are taking part. The workforce is the school community, with students packing the ingredients into the insulated kete that is then delivered to the child’s class for them to take home. Zero packaging and emissions are used as the reusable bag is transported home by the student. Several businesses have supported this kaupapa by offering free or affordable kai or services to go into the kete.