“Seeds hold whakapapa”

The Māori MP growing the food on her community's plate 

“The kai that we consume has whakapapa and sits within the ecosystems that we, too, are part of.” 

Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke—Te Pati Māori MP and youngest member of Parliament—grows kai for her small Huntly community.  

Growing up, she spent summers with her aunty, Liliana Clarke, learning how to grow kai using maramataka (Māori lunar calendar).  

Hana said her planting and harvesting was very intentional, “reflecting how my ancestors utilised the rich lands throughout Waikato to grow an abundance of produce”. 

Raised by her elders, she draws on their teachings to help in the sustenance of her little community. 

“Seeds hold whakapapa, and they must not be tampered with.” 

Hana dreams of a circular Māori economy, where the currency is kai. 

She looks at the whole picture of kai, calling for reclamation of sovereignty and justice over how food is prepped, sold and distributed by supermarket chains. 

The community garden is open to all at set hours during the day and runs off reciprocity, rather than money. 

“Hopefully, in years to come we’ll be exchanging kai rather than moni for kaupapa Māori.” 

She wanted to return to her traditional Maori practices and customs of how to gather our kai.  

“Our sustenance can no longer be in the hands of greedy corporates.” 

After learning from her aunty, she loved gardening using maramataka (Māori lunar calendar). “It’s awesome to engage with one of many Māori natural resources.” 

“The biggest problem in Aotearoa at the moment is that we don’t have enough food — and the food we do have is too expensive.”  

In the long run, after looking after her own hometown, she hopes to help other iwi get māra kai established while supporting them with knowledge around the maramataka.