Ngā Nuinga by Ethan Flack #ManaKai

Eat NZ Kaitaki, Ethan Flack a chef from Southland, looks into the Mana Kai concept of Ngā Nuinga and shares what it means to him...

NGĀ NUINGA:

A collective mindset where everyone has joint responsibilities to share and trade local food resources (not limiting its access) so that abundance is shared and tasted by all.

The key for optimising the place and the food system within a community is teaching life skills. Encouraging growing, harvesting, cooking, sharing and community are all massive factors to this. Building a solid foundation in younger generations to grow from has to be focused on.

Spending my younger years growing up in Western Southland was a dream; lots of space to explore and adventure in, great schools and a very tight community.

Being taught and encouraged to understand, grow, harvest, store, cook and serve food as well as sharing and trading when we had an abundance was one thing we were taught at school and at home. Having access to our home garden; we as kids were taught about the production of food and through getting our hands dirty, we were able to understand and appreciate it.

Shopping in the local butcher, bakery and vege stall were all normal practices and supported that close community around us.

Sharing that learning and knowledge with friends, family, classmates and neighbours was done by doing it together or sharing, swapping and trading the final raw or cooked product.

Having grown up, travelled the world and experienced life I certainly appreciate that foundation that I have built upon.

It’s extremely humbling now to return home to the area and region I grew up in with more knowledge and understanding and to be able to give back. To share the values of that foundation with the next generation of children who will be the future leaders of tomorrow is important to me.

Above is a picture of me with students from Hauroko Valley Primary School, a small school in Western Southland. Together we spent the morning talking about local produce, seasons, their favourite treats and cooked a simple breakfast that they could create at home.