Hawkes Bay Maori are using steaks and sausages to promote an anti-violence message.
A $10,000 grant from electricity lines company Unison Networks to Flaxmere's Te Aranga marae has allowed the creation of 'Tunutunu' - a mobile barbecue which will be used as a focus for community gatherings.
Hastings District councilor Henare O'Keefe told Waatea News that Tunutunu came out of community discussions after last year's hikoi against gang violence in the region.
Mr O'Keefe says the barbecue will be taken around the streets of Flaxmere and the wider Hastings district, with the aim of engaging with people 'in their own back yard'.
"We're going to do that over a chop and a sausage and a bit of bread and tomato sauce, in an attempt to help stem the ever-flowing tide of domestic violence."
Mr O'Keefe says sponsorship of the project should be a valuable learning experience for Unison Networks, which has just lost a five year fight to build a wind farm in Hawkes Bay against strong Maori objections.
