Harnessing the Potential of Unused Land for Kai Sovereignty

15 Dec

He Puāwai Trust Council Submission to District Plan review 2023.

“Foodbanks are not, and should never be, the solution to

getting the whānau fed. They are a further colonising, mana-diminishing tool of the industry of poverty that has been

prevalent since early settlement times. Yet, for whānau

seeking support, they remain our only current option for

feeding hundreds of whānau each week. This too, must

change.”

Recently we made a submission to Hutt City Council on the use of land as part of their District Plan review. We share our dream of a kai-resilient Hutt Valley with you, and stress how partnering with Council for the setting aside of land for kai production is as critical as building houses. What good are homes for our whānau, if the fridges are empty and our children hungry?

Who we are:

This submission was compiled and submitted by He Puāwai Trust on behalf of the whānau and communities it serves across Te Awa Kairangi. Information and opinions have been gathered over the last 18 months via our mahi we undertake in the communities of Central Hutt, Taita/Pomare, Wainuiomata and Stokes Valley. We have a focus as a charitable organisation to restore resilient kai systems across the Hutt Valley. We do this by partnering with organisations, (especially foodbanks) and collaborate on shared strategies that can walk with whānau/families on the journey from kai insecurity and crisis to resilience and sovereignty.

What we are requesting:

We are responding to the Open Space Zones in the Draft District Plan.

We call for the Hutt City Council to set aside land in various locations across the valley for the production of kai by whānau/families.
We request this land be held safely in perpetuity for the production of local kai, via the development of a community land trust, safe from housing development and sale, forevermore.
We ask HCC to consider a 500 year approach to the usage of land and the wellbeing of whānau that live within this precious valley.

Why?

Data (derived from our partnerships with Lower Hutt Foodbank, Stokes Valley Foodbank, Kokiri Marae Pataka Kai and Aroha Kai, Pomare) shows there has been a steady increase of 15 - 20% since Covid lockdowns in the amount of emergency food parcels provided in Te Awa Kairangi. This, coupled with the decrease of central Govt investment and the drying up of resources from within the philanthropic community, suggests an absolute melt down for many, many whānau/families doing it hard in the Hutt.

Maori remain disproportionately affected, continuously marginalised and over represented in the emergency food space. But Māori are also clear on what they need in order to thrive. A recent campaign led by He Puāwai Trust to support whānau, showed a massive 120 whānau signing up within one month to have access to their own kai plots and support to begin their own kai production journey. Sadly, with no land usage agreements in place or a collaborative strategy with HCC, we are able to only support a very small amount of whānau currently. This must change.

Foodbanks are not, and should never be, the solution to getting the whānau fed. They are a further colonising, mana diminishing tool of the industry of poverty that has been prevalent since early settlement times. Yet, for whānau seeking support, they remain our only current option for feeding hundreds of whānau each week. This too, must change.

The community (via the Te Awa Kairangi Kai Collective Partnership Agreement with HCC in 2021) has previously requested that land be mapped for kai production. This request emerged strongly during Covid times but sadly was not actioned. We encourage HCC to take a 500 year approach to the use of land by co-creating partnerships with iwi and community to hand over land for kai production, foraging and customary hunting in the name of generations to come.

This way, we have the potential to make a meaningful contribution to alleviating hunger and promoting sovereign, whānau-led solutions for the provision of kai. This initiative must be a collaborative effort between iwi, local government and community, with the development of a community land trust overseeing guardianship of the land, of which Council has a seat at, but not ultimate control of.

We ask HCC Council to co-create with community, equitable resilient neighbourhoods - rather than simply building housing without consideration of access to kai production spaces. Neighbourhoods where residents are able to live sustainably within their own local environments - a plan HCC sets out in its own Climate Change strategy, but one that it is only able to deliver on by authentically partnering with the community.

What we have been doing/a model that will work:

He Puawai Trust has been co-designing and implementing kai production sites across the Hutt Valley for the last year. Drawing from a significantly experienced Board, researchers and partnerships. This has enabled us to co-design a model based on the allotment method of food production that has been so enduring across Europe and Britain for generations, sustaining communities in high density housing, using land that has been set aside by local authorities. Allotments and shared food production spaces are therefore deeply embedded culturally and so successful they were able to sustain communities during World War Two.

We also recognize and weave through our model the plight of our former refugee and migrant community who speak of the need to access land to feed themselves and express their indigenous kai needs.

Reimagining the allotment model, but with more of an indigenous/ te ao Maori approach, has led us to designing and piloting Māra Ora.

Māra Ora sites act as a place of education and kai sovereignty. They contain plots for local whānau that cannot grow in their backyard/neighbourhood. They are looked after by a Māra Kai Facilitator living locally who supports whānau to grow and to lead. This is a critical part of the model as it acknowledges the lost skills of kai production due to colonisation and also allows whānau to bring forth their own ideas and needs. This approach has led to chicken/egg share schemes, a tool library, beekeeping opportunities, community greenhouses providing seedlings into foodbanks, exploration of community compost hubs, looking at rongoā māra and education and, most importantly, growing capability of local leadership and employment through an internship programme. Currently only one of our Māra Ora sites is on Council land, with this taking 18 months to develop due to no current clear process for the use of land for kai production. This is an unacceptably long time to make the community wait for something they are increasingly asking for access to.

Benefits of utilising public land for kai cultivation in this manner:

Honouring Te Tiriti O Waitangi : We remind HCC to consider whose land we stand on and what came before us, in the shaping of the District Plan review. We encourage HCC to take a Tangata Tiriti approach to the use of land and development of a community land trust.

The colonisation effects of settlement here in Te Awa Kairangi has meant the fertile river valley has become home to many whānau living in high density, under resourced communities, dependent on foodbanks with no sense of sovereignty.

We have, however, the opportunity through this review to embrace whānau-led strategies that address kai insecurity and poverty faced by many whānau in Te Awa Kairangi.

Addressing kai Insecurity: Providing a sustainable source of fresh, nutritious kai for everyone to access in our community. By acknowledging and revitalising traditional practices and customs of gathering kai, promoting kai security, protecting the environment, and empowering Māori communities, we transition from kai dependency to kai sovereignty.. Council currently has no policy in place to support this, nor has it responded previously to the request it helps shape the development of a city wide kai strategy that would ensure whānau/families are provided with equal opportunity to access land for kai production.

Community Connection/local markets: Fostering a sense of community by bringing residents together for a basic need, promoting social interaction, and providing educational opportunities. The development of Māra Ora sites across the valley lends itself well to small neighbourhood based markets with locals being able to share and sell surplus food.

Health and Well-being: Encouraging healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle through access to fresh, equitably produced kai.

Environmental Impact: Utilising public land for food cultivation contributes to environmental sustainability and local resilience as well as climate change mitigation.

An Invitation:

We kindly request that the City Council consider the potential of this proposal and explore the feasibility of using public land for the cultivation and harvesting of kai. We invite HCC Councillors to visit one of our Māra Ora sites in 2024 and to imagine with us what an equitable, Te Tiriti based kai system could look like here in Te Awa Kairangi. We would like the opportunity to speak to this submission at Council hui.

We thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to the possibility of working together to create a more resilient and compassionate community.

"Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini"

Ngā mihi nui

Julia Milne

(on behalf of the He Puawai Trust whanau)