NGĀ KAITIAKI O NGĀ TAEWA – GUARDIANS OF THE POTATOES By Gemma Carroll : Potatoes NZ Inc. communications manager
Image; Marion Fumarola
Potatoes New Zealand teamed up with Eat New Zealand this winter, sponsoring the Great Taewa Hunt for the Feast Matariki campaign. We envisaged connecting with local communities and smaller growers who are kaitiaki for the taonga that is Māori potatoes. Taewa is the name for the potato tuber varieties traditionally cultivated by Māori. Once they’ve been prepared for eating, potatoes are then referred to as ngā rīwai. The Great Taewa Hunt was a competition calling for images and story sharing. We wanted to hear where they are growing, who is growing them, and what varieties currently exist. The competition was an opportunity for all kaitiaki kai (guardians of food), including keen photographers, eaters, growers, iwi, farmers’ markets and chefs, to share stories of taewa.
Here is some of the aroha and ‘spud-love’ we received. “These tūtaekurī are growing just out of Matata near Whakatane. Louise is a nurse, and she was given them 10 years ago by a patient from Kawerau.” – Carolyn Chadwick “The revival of indigenous and locally adapted seeds is one of the keys to secure food crop diversity. We need to maintain traditional crops through continued agroecological cultivation coupled with traditional knowledge and keep the seeds in our hands to be passed on to the next generation.
The revival of indigenous and locally adapted seeds is one of the keys to secure food crop diversity NZGROWER : OCTOBER 2021 67
