Takiri at the Moana Radio studio, Tauranga. Photo: Supplied
Te Ahi Kaa contributor, Takiri Butler was born and bred in Tauranga. Her Iwi are Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Awa, Tainui. Her Hapu affiliations are Ngāti Hangarau, Patuwai and Ngāti Koroki. Takiri presents He Kai Ora, an insight into two very different approaches to good eating. Takiri works at Moana Radio in Tauranga as the Breakfast show host, Music Director and is the Producer of Māorivation, a health and fitness radio show. She holds a Pilots license and spends her free time cooking, training and coaching, surfing and DJaying. Takiri comes from a health conscious whanau, mum was an aerobics instructor in the 80's and Dad a former body builder. Takiri is the aunty of her rising surfing star nephew, Kehu Butler.
Jade Tapsell, Hiria Te Amo and Erana Skudder Photo: Supplied
Clean Eats is a cafe located in the heart of Mount Maunganui. Most of the dishes contain no gluten, no refined sugar or flours, or bad fats. The cafe is the dream realised by three Māori women who describe their venture in the business as a 'no-brainer'.
Dr Anna Rolleston, who collaborated with the owners on their menu, believes they have found the right fit for their steady customer base. According to Hiria, they sell trays of their organic and raw Banoffie Pie every week, it's become somewhat of a drawcard. Takiri Butler is with members of the Bennett family who are well known in the area as an active family that play a number of sport codes, but they also have a family history of diabetes, Takiri asks 83 year old Nanny Lulu, Tiana Bennett and Maaia Bennett about whether or not the food is a good substitute for the 'real' thing.
I think it's fantastic, I love the kaupapa behind this journey. One day talking about how it would be great to walk the talk, not just talk to talk. This is what they are doing. I think its a wonderful dream they have put together.
Tiana Bennett - on Clean Eats
Dr Anna Rolleston was born and raised in Tauranga Moana and is a Senior Clinician and Director at The Cardiac Clinic in Tauranga, she is a Senior Research Fellow at The Faculty of Medicine and Health Science (PhD) at The University of Auckland. In 2014 she was the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Indigenous Fellow. The prime focus of her work at the clinic is heart disease prevention and care amongst Māori, her lifestyle programme implements a kaupapa Māori methodology. Dr Rolleston talks to Takiri her work with Clean Eats, and what needs to change in the food industry to improve overall health, especially with one of the main offenders, sugary drinks. Photo: Supplied
I'm really excited to see that all District Health Boards have gone sugar free, I think that is a great first step. but that needs to be a much larger step. Sugar sweetened beverages foods and are probably one of the worst offenders in terms of our health.
I think we would be a lot healthier as people, if we just simply started growing our food again. There is this whole holistic point of view around gardening, especially gardening for our kai......so much of the food industry is about pulling the wool over our eyes.
Dr Anna Rolleston
Paora's diet is based on what his ancestors ate. Photo: Supplied
Paora Te Hurihanganui is from the iwi Ngāti Rangiwewehi and his hapu is Ngāti Whakakeu, Takiri visits Paora in Rotorua to talk about his diet based on what his ancestors ate, right down to how it is caught, cooked and consumed. He looked at relevant stories, history, whakapapa and even whakatauki (proverbial sayings) to shape his daily eating plan. Paora researched what food was brought to Aotearoa on board the Te Arawa Waka and included that into his eating too. He believes that if you can connect your DNA to a particular food that also sustained our tupuna for thousands of years, then it must be good.
In the first year I stayed really really strict so anything that came on the waka (Te Arawa) brought here when they migrated and anything they found here, was my diet. Any marine life and I'm not talking about prawns , salmon or trout. I am talking about the indigenous food to the land and what we brought with us.... I am into experimenting. If I can eat it, or run it, or be in that particular space, then that tells me if it is worthy or not. I went out and accessed all the edible plants in the bush and whether that could be a sustainable food source.
Paora Te Hurihanganui
Tupuna Kai hasn't come without its critics, Paora has met health experts both Māori and non-Māori in the health industry, who argue that his kaupapa is not sustainable. Weight loss is not his prime focus, but he has shed over thirty kilos, and according to his doctors, he is in excellent health. A typical daily food regime includes eggs, fish, kumara, chicken and pork.
