Healthy Families Rotorua has embarked on a transformative journey of kai sovereignty, digging into the traditional cultivation and preservation of kūmara.
After successfully propagating over 1,000 kūmara shoots, the team helped distribute the tupu throughout Te Arawa. Among the recipients was, *Haki, whose life was poised for a significant shift.
Estranged from his whānau for many years due to battles with drug and alcohol addiction, Haki’s path to reconnection ignited when lead systems innovator, Pirihira Whata, shared the tupu with his wife.
“I felt privileged to be entrusted to nurture these tupu for us. After rehab and recovery, the tupu gave me a sense of responsibility beyond my healing journey,” says Haki.
“I’ve always found solace in gardening, and these tupu have reignited that passion within me. I only know one Māori song by heart, and I sing it to the tupu when I water them. When it’s over, I know they’ve had enough water,” he says.
Emboldened with a newfound confidence, Haki has reached out to whānau members he has not seen in a long time.
“Before recovery and up until now, I’ve never been a family man. But this has also changed my perspective on that. Growing the tupu at my house has opened my eyes to my Māori culture and how awesome it is. I grew up thinking it was a burden to be Māori.
“Those 10 plants given by Piri have done more than grow in a bathtub on my section. It has lit something inside me that is indescribable. It makes me want to continue down this te ao Māori path and discover what that means to me and my whānau. I know it’ll take time and I move at my own pace, but I’m willing now to move in this direction.”
Pirihira says the impact of the kūmara on whānau lives has been emotional for her.
“It tugs at the heartstrings to think that kaupapa Māori systems approach underpinned by the kumara mātauranga can have this impact. But then it shouldn’t be surprising given Rongo is the Atua of our kūmara.
“Our efforts to reclaim kai sovereignty through traditional practices has not only strengthened our bond with the taiao but also reignited a sense of purpose within our whānau. It endorses the potential of our kaupapa to create positive change within our communities.
“I’m grateful to be part of this mahi and to witness the resilience and growth it has sparked in Haki and others like him,” says Pirihira.
*Name changed to protect privacy.
