KAMA shapes Aotearoa’s path to a sustainable food future

23 September 2024 - Creating a sustainable future for Aotearoa’s food system starts with collaboration and innovative thinking, and KAMA is at the forefront of it.  

Through a five-year, $10M programme, ‘Kai anamata mō Aotearoa’ or KAMA, has united voices from the community, industry, and government in a series of nationwide workshops. Their shared vision? To build a sustainable and resilient food system that supports economic, environmental, social, and cultural well-being. 

The programme, co-led by Sustainable Nutrition Initiative® (SNi®) of the Riddet Institute and the iwi group Wakatū Incorporation, was selected by the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment as the recipient for their 2024 Endeavour Fund round last year. 

“We are building an interactive model to steer the food sector towards a carbon-neutral future, grounded in real-world data from Te Tauihu,” explains Dr Nick Smith, Research Officer at SNi®. The programme’s modelling team, which includes researchers from SNi®, Fonterra, AgResearch, University of Canterbury, and Lincoln University, aims to offer practical solutions for a more sustainable food sector. 

Building on this initiative, Miriana Stephens, General Manager at Au Ora (a business affiliated with Wakatū) is set to host a regional wānanga in October, launching the first phase of developing a regional food strategy for Te Tauihu. The event will also highlight Te Puana o Kaurau, a pilot farm showcasing native crops. 

The programme will further explore commercial uses of native crops in Te Tauihu. Charles Eason, Pou Whakahaere Pūtaiao at Wakatū and Professor at Lincoln University, is supporting a team with horticultural and practical expertise who will lead on-the-ground data collection, testing both new and existing native crops for their scalability in a culturally respectful way. 

These data collection and evaluation efforts aim to address current knowledge gaps on well-being and improve land management practices at both enterprise and farm levels. Dr Conal Smith, Wellington-based economist, will provide crucial insights by linking this work to the World Wellbeing Panel.  

“Our model will help stakeholders and policymakers strengthen Aotearoa’s food system against disruptions like climate change, export restrictions, while addressing health and food accessibility issues,” adds Dr Smith. “It will also reveal the broader impacts of land use, trade, and overall well-being.”  

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