Strengthening local food systems in Motueka

Kai Anamata mō Aotearoa is a community-led initiative focused on strengthening food security, resilient food systems, and community wellbeing in Te Tauihu and beyond. Through Project KAMA, Wakatū Incorporation is working alongside whānau, growers, producers, researchers, community organisations, local government, and iwi to explore practical solutions that ensure everyone has access to healthy and affordable food.

At the end of 2026, we will host the Kai Anamata mō Aotearoa Conference at Te Āwhina Marae in Motueka. The conference will bring together leaders, practitioners, researchers, growers, iwi, hapū, community organisations, and innovators from across Aotearoa to share ideas, showcase successful initiatives, and develop collaborative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing our food systems.

The theme of the conference is "Food Security in a Changing World." As communities face increasing pressures from climate change, extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, rising food costs, and growing inequities in access to nutritious food, there is an urgent need to strengthen local food resilience and reconnect people with the systems that sustain them.

A key outcome of this work is the development of a Te Tauihu Regional Food Strategy that will provide a long-term vision and framework for strengthening the region's food system. The conference will also support the development of a Motueka Call to Action, bringing together local priorities, commitments, and practical actions that communities, organisations, businesses, and decision-makers can collectively advance. Rather than being another discussion document, the Call to Action will identify tangible activities and partnerships that can be implemented following the conference to improve food security, food sovereignty, environmental sustainability, and community wellbeing.

Funds raised through this campaign will help make the conference accessible and inclusive by supporting venue costs, community participation, speaker contributions, workshops, knowledge-sharing resources, and the production of the Te Tauihu Regional Food Strategy and Motueka Call to Action. A particular focus will be ensuring that whānau, rangatahi, Māori food producers, and community organisations can participate and contribute their knowledge and experiences.

The conference is designed to generate action and lasting impact. Participants will work together to identify opportunities, partnerships, and practical initiatives that strengthen local food systems, support regenerative food production, improve access to healthy food, increase community resilience, and create pathways for future generations.

By supporting this project, you are investing in a future where communities are better connected to their food, local food economies are stronger, and collective action helps create healthier people, healthier environments, and more resilient communities. Together, we can help shape a food system that nourishes both people and planet while creating a practical roadmap for food resilience across Te Tauihu and Motueka, accessible to rangatahi, iwi, and businesses.