New drive to harness Mātauranga Māori for Aotearoa

NZ craft beer went through a crazy hop period – it still is – and this is a boon for matching with cheese . Hops add bitterness and fruitiness which go well with cheese . A hoppy IPA goes perfectly with a blue cheese, or a hoppy lager with an aged gouda . It’s important not to get hidebound – to keep trying freaky combinations – but one guide might be that mild beers go with mild cheeses, mature, richer-flavoured cheeses go well with beers with a higher alcohol content and styles like brown ales, and sharp blue cheeses love a heavy stout . It’s not that simple though . Take a sharp blue cheese . They can also shine with a hoppy, fruity beer which can take the edge of the cheese and enhance the floral notes and acidity . That leads to the three Cs of matching . Complement is when the cheese and beer have similar taste profiles like a light lager and a medium cheddar . This is not as straightforward as it sounds though – we once tried complementing a smoked cheese with a smoky porter and decided the result was like licking last night’s campfire remains! Contrast is when the two have quite different flavour profiles, but they each highlight the other . A saison with a fresh goat cheese for example . The third is Cut when, say, the sweetness of an American brown ale style cuts through the sharpness of a blue sheep cheese . The key message is that most people – even those with an active interest in NZ artisan goat and sheep milk products – have little or no idea of the range available . However, find a congenial and fun way to expose them to these products – in our case amazing cheeses, and they’ll become fans . I’m not sure it’s the most efficient way to grow our subscribers – planning and running events is hard work – but we love engaging with cheese lovers and it’s rewarding to support our cheesemakers in this way .

Mātauranga Māori should be seen as adding to the toolbox to tackle the big issues for agriculture and other sectors, rather than something that threatens the science status quo, says the head of AgResearch’s new Māori Research & Partnerships Group, Ariana Estoras.

The new structure led by Mrs Estoras is central to AgResearch’s vision to have the knowledge system of Mātauranga Māori in equal footing with Western science and existing structures that have helped support positive change in farming practices and food production in Aotearoa over the decades . The move also helps embed Te Ara Tika into AgResearch’s everyday work, which is a national plan to embrace Te Ao Māori values and tikanga based principles to better respond to Māori needs and better deliver to Māori aspirations . “What we are striving for is an approach where we are adding knowledge and impact to the important science we have always done, so that we can respond with Māori to their needs and aspirations, but also help provide better solutions to farmers and all of society in Aotearoa,” says Mrs Estoras, who herself comes from a background in science . She believes that it is encouraging to see the increasing recognition across the science and research sectors of the value Māori people, resources and knowledge can bring . In agriculture, this means growing connections between the scientists and Māori farmers and landowners who bring huge collective wisdom and a hunger for positive change in line with Kaitiakitanga (living in balance with the natural environment as guardians) of the land . Mrs Estoras hails from Ngāti Uekaha and Ngāti Maniapoto, and as a child spent a lot of time learning from her grandfather on his Waitomo farm . After studying molecular genetics and gaining her Master’s degree in biochemistry, she worked with the Manuel whānau on the East Coast with a genetic disorder that resulted in members of the whānau losing their sight . Her work helped provide the whānau with some answers and was a launching pad for a career in science in Aotearoa and overseas that has since led to her moving into the primary industries, and more recently into leadership as AgResearch’s Director of Māori Research & Partnerships . The focus of the new Māori Research & Partnerships Group is “to continue to build Māori capacity and beneficial Māori-centred research led by and with Māori partners, while taking everyone with us” . “I have been able to work at the coalface with many Māori groups across my lifetime and was able to create bridges between science, policy and funding and what they were looking to achieve, and I get a real buzz from that . I also feel privileged to be among the wāhine Māori in leadership roles in Aotearoa and helping to provide a path for our young people to follow . ”