Ko wai mātou
A passionate group of talented and experience Kai producers are the kaitiaki of Te Waka Kai Ora
Tiamana o Te Waka Kai Ora
Teina Bossa Dean
Teina Boasa-Dean is an active member of her marae and iwi pae tapu based in Te Urewera, Ngāi Tūhoe. She has 30 years’ experience in environmental science, ecological development, and waste management. She is currently a Māori Soil Science Research Advisor, Iwi archivist and historian and Te Reo Māori Community Language Commissioner. Teina is experienced in governance, climate change, waste, and soil. She also advocates for the circular economy and played a role as member of the Māori technical experts group commissioned to work on the new waste strategy. Teina is the co-founder and co-designer of the Māori circular economy model known as Te Takarangi a developmental system that explores Māori cultural values in action for the restoration of natural living systems.
Geneva Hildreth
(Nga Puhi) Geneva is a long established Hua Parakore Kai producer and was part of the team that helped set up Te Waka Kai Ora. She is an established Kai Maara and more recently in her retirement an established adventurer and traveller.
Cathy Tait-Jamieson
(Ngati Raukawa) Cathy is our queen bee of organics and Hua Parakore. As the first recipient of the Hua Parakore tohu at her farm Biofarm. Cathy bring 40 years of knowledge to our team not only in farming, but also in business acumen.
Rob Small
( Nga Puhi) Currently the Curator for the Pourewa Gardens for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Rob Small has dedicated his post retirement mahi to the development of Māra kai, Māra Rongoā and Māra Rāranga. The design of the Pourewa Garden's has been created from a Te Ao Māori perspective, based around creating spaces and structures to relate mātauranga of Te Ao Māori and Ōrākei tāngata.
Rob has studied ethnobotany around the world and believes that tikanga associated with Māori gardening and te taiao is critical to preserving both the languages the tikanga and the pride of Māori in Aotearoa. Rob has had a distinguished career spanning 40 years in Parks Management within both Aotearoa and Australia and also holds an honours degree in Horticulture, a Master of Landscape architecture, and a diploma in tikanga and Te Reo Māori.
Pounamu Skelton
Pounamu Skelton (Te Ati Awa, Taranaki, Ngarti Ruanui, Ngati Raukawa) is deeply connected to her traditional landscapes and Maori culture in Taranaki Aotearoa.
Pounamu was part of the research team that co -designed the Huaparakore verification system, she has years of experience of sharing Maara Kai and health and wellbeing in the online space across Aotearoa and overseas.
Pounamu not only grows an abundant huaparakore maara on her tupuna whenua but has spent the past few years diving deep into healing with her people through the art of “Maara Kai” and reconnecting whanau to their inner Atua leaving behind anxiety, addictions and depression.
Email: [email protected]
Faren Taylor
Te Ati Awa, Ngati Mutunga, Taranaki Tuturu) Faren Taylor is our communication manager and keeps you up to date with all the happenings in TWKO. She is an established Kai Maara and well know for leading our signature programme Kai Oranga in Waitara Taranaki.
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