INTO THE WILD WORDS BOB SACAMANO IMAGES SUPPLIED
Invasive species have become a major problem in the Bay of Plenty, and while the debate rages about how best to deal with this issue, one Whakatāne couple have hit upon a novel and possibly perfect solution: let’s eat them!
When Mawera Karetai and Dave Barrett met 14 or so years ago, neither of them anticipated Mawera would go on to become a leader in poison-free pest management, specialising in controlling pest bird species on farms. Nor did Mawera see herself becoming an educator, teaching people about wild and gathered food. And yet, this has become her life. In the past, pest bird species were poisoned as a means of controlling the population, because just five peafowl or turkey will eat as much grass in one day as a sheep. And some of the farms the couple have worked with have had up to 3000 birds, so it’s a serious problem. “Working with our volunteers, we hunt the birds at night, from their roosts, take them away from the farm, hand pluck the feathers, take the meat for food and the frames are fed to pigs. There is no waste in our process and the need for another poison is eliminated from our environment. The birds don’t suffer and there are no safety issues with our processes. We don’t charge for managing the pests because we make our money from selling the feathers.” Feathergirl, their retail brand, it is unique in that their feathers are sourced in New Zealand from a pest species, and so their customers become part of that story and the Feathergirl story becomes part of their branding. But while the feathers pay the bills, Mawera’s passion is wild food. In a regular week, dinner will be a mix of peafowl, turkey, venison, goat, hare and rabbit. And that is the norm for an increasing number of families. “Each year our volunteer numbers increase for a number of reasons. Some people want to learn to hunt for meat. Some want to hunt for fitness and comradery. Others want to contribute to our environmental goals. But whatever the motivation, it’s great to see people out harvesting kai from the natural environment.” Most of the species they hunt were introduced as food, and if we continue to see them like that, then the numbers can be managed. But if we see them simply as a problem-causing pest, then we tend to throw poison at these species, which creates more problems. “Our natural environment needs champions,” Mawera says, “and until we take that approach, we are continuing to put pressure on native and endemic species that are struggling”. So, with summer here and everyone looking for something special to lay out for friends and whanau, Mawera and Dave have come up with a couple of special wild food recipes that you can try at home. P L E N T Y. C O . N Z // N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8
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