A group of 'Aunties' from Marlborough's Omaka Marae have made it to the finals of this year's NZ Artisan Awards with their range of Māori-inspired condiments.
The Aunties of Omaka Marae Photo: Richard Briggs
Manaaki (named after the te reo word for hospitality or generosity) is a social enterprise set up to raise money for the marae.
They make three products – horopito and lemon sauce, kawakawa jelly and kamokamo pickle, available on their website and via stockists around the country.
'Auntie' Donna Nepia tells Afternoons' Jesse Mulligan they started making the preserves as a way to make money for the marae without relying on funding.
Photo: Manaaki / Facebook
Nepia says kamokamo, a traditional Māori summer vegetable similar to squash or pumpkin, works as the textural base of the pickle, with flavour coming more from turmeric and mustard.
It does well in Marlborough, and is grown at the marae, along with rongoā herbs.
The recipe for the pickle came from the elders, Nepia says, but when the trio started they were not really experts at preserves and unfortunately many of the kaumātua who knew recipes had died.
She says the kawakawa in their apple-based jelly is also subtle, more like an aroma.
The product you'll really taste the flavour in is the peppery horopito & lemon sauce, which she says makes a good alternative to mayonnaise or hollandaise.
Everyone volunteers their time for Manaaki, but sometimes they'll do a fundraiser in the marae kitchen "to chop, like 100 kamokamo" for their Mahana programme which provides merino blankets to whānau in need.
This summer, they hope to launch a seasonal limited edition of a new product.
"We're aiming for the sky, we're aiming for the stars, for sure" Nepia says.
