Hungry for Hāngī

Flashing in the winter sky just before dawn, Matariki commences the Māori New Year. For many, the appearance of Matariki signals a time of peace, joy and remembrance. For me, Matariki signals all of above, plus some hearty kai. With Matariki disappearing from the skies and celebrations coming to a close – let’s cast our minds and bellies back to the soul-warming food put on our plates. 

As the steam-filled chamber is unearthed from the ground’s grasp, we’re met with the distinct waft of root vegetables and earth-scorched produce. The aroma carries throughout the backyard onto the table where whānau are gathered with gazing eyes and cutlery at the ready. Hāngī has lined tangata whenua pūku for centuries and continues to be the standout method of Māori cuisine shown off to the wider world. With new technology emerging each year, hāngī and Māori cuisine have departed down the road of modernization in a plea to appeal to a wider audience, altering the very whakapapa of our cooking techniques - but is this a bad thing? 

To unearth some valuable insights on hāngī and all things food, I sat down with three hāngī lovers: Minister of Conservation, Kiritapu Allan, Stuff reporter, Glenn McConnell and my nana, Mali. 

Hāngī is more than just kai, hāngī is an occasion bigger than the food on our plates. For Kiri Allan, hāngī provides valuable time to reconnect with whānau and whenua. 

“Hāngī has always been a part of a celebration or commemoration for my whānau. It’s special to see everyone playing their role and contributing to the whakapapa in front of us,” says Allan. 

“It’s a real team effort, from the tamariki peeling the spuds, to the tāne digging the pit and laying the stones. It takes almost as many hands to make a hāngī as it does to eat it.” 

Hāngī embodies living off the land and utilizing the resources nearby. Across the Polynesian islands, similar cooking methods have been used as ways to feed the crowds. 

“The history of hāngī is really intuitive. Our tīpuna used what they had around them to create the best food possible. The whole idea of celebration and commemoration is relatively new.” 

“This special whakapapa connects us with other island nations who used the same intuition - we see it in the Samoan umu, Fijian lovo, Hawaiin imu in their own unique ways.” 

When asked what her favourite hāngī ingredient was, Allan understandably struggled to set her mind on just one component. 

“I’m a real chops girl aye, you can’t go wrong with chops,” says Allan. “Actually titi (mutton) might be my favourite, but you don’t see them in hāngī too much nowadays, and don’t get me started on hāngī cabbage, it might be a hot take, but I can eat mountains of that.” 

For Allan, Māori cuisine is an artform that needs to be kept alive as the kitchens and taste buds of Kiwis modernise. 

“I think kai Māori is so much more than meat and veg. We have so many trailblazing leaders creating an exportable cuisine that showcases our food in a positive light to the world. There is a real love for our style of food - it deserves to be appreciated and practiced for centuries to come.” 

“Hāngī is a beautiful way of cooking and a beautiful way to connect with whānau.” 

For many Māori living in urban environments, hāngī can be few and far between. For Glen McConnell, the evolution of hāngī and our native cuisine has given him a chance to reminisce through untraditional forms of kai Māori. 

“I don’t think these new methods are going to replace the traditional hāngī at a marae, but If you want to replicate the taste and feelings that bring back memories of the past, then these methods are a smart way to do so.” 

“I live in an apartment within the city, I’d be lucky enough to have a balcony, let alone fireproof backyard to dig a hāngī pit in,” McConnell says. 

Meatless diets have steadily grown in popularity as New Zealanders are made more conscious of their consumption. While hāngī is often looked at as an abundance of meat, being vegetarian hasn’t stopped McConnell from enjoying hāngī and other kai Māori delicacies. 

“The great thing about hāngī is that it’s so plentiful. If you’re not eating meat, your plate won’t be empty,” McConnell Says. “Even in the cities I have options I can tuck into, Like Friday night fry bread sold at the Cuba Street markets, there’s even Michelin star quality Māori kai on the rise. It’s awesome to see this full spectrum of Māori food on display.” 

Mali, my nana, has grown up eating hāngī down at the Papawai marae in Greytown. Her memories of each occasion are fond, but have changed as she’s got older. 

“Down at Papawai, everyone was excited for a hāngī. The mountains of kai would leave us all with happy bellies,” Nana says. “The chefs were special; we saw them as superstars - feeding up to 200 people is no easy task.” 

“As a grandparent nothing means more to me than seeing faces of all the whānau together uniting over full plates and full hearts, it’s a special moment to be a part of.” 

Moving to the city hasn’t stopped Nana enjoying hāngī, even if it comes in different forms and sizes. 

“People are manufacturing all kinds of backyard hāngī nowadays. I’ve seen those new gadgets you can get from Bunning’s. It tastes just like an old school hāngī – pretty cool aye,” Nana continues. 

“I think it’s an acknowledgment that hāngī is an enjoyable way of eating and no matter how much technology replaces the traditional method, people want to taste that beautiful smoky flavour.... and don’t forget, it’s one of the most convenient ways of feeding a crowd.” 

“Try feeding 200 people with an oven!” 

With an emergence of people selling hāngī as fundraisers and at markets, Nana takes every opportunity to enjoy the kai of her past. 

“For us, it’s special kai - it’s a luxury for us - we don’t have the opportunity to eat hāngī much anymore so we relish and enjoy it when we do.” 

“Everyone who sells a hāngī, always sells out. People want to eat this cultural delicacy when they can, because nothing else compares.” 

With hāngī on our minds it looks like I’ve managed to score myself a mean feed. 

“It’s an amazing moment to be a part of. You know what, when we get a good patch of weather, that’s what we will do, we will have a hāngī,” Nana says. 

But it’s not all rainbows and sunshine, as I’m sure Nana will put me to work. 

“You’ll be on the shovel my Masey!” 

Mānawatia a Matariki – new year’s greetings.