STORYING KAITIAKITANGA: Exploring Kaupapa Māori land and water food stories

This article explores the Indigenous principle of kaitiakitanga as it relates to Māori agrifood practices. Our discussion is based on interviews with a small cross-section of Māori in the agrifood sector whose practices are informed by a long-standing appreciation of the interconnected realities of lands, food, people and waterways. We consider how the shared Kaupapa Māori principles underpinning these food practices form part of a wider Kaupapa Māori land, water and food systems approach which we call “Kai Ora”. As is evident in the stories that follow, Kaupapa Māori values are practised in diverse ways by different kaitiaki food producers. For those who participate within any level of Māori food production, this kaupapa-based approach can lead to a range of connected outcomes, such as oranga, tātai hononga, tiaki taiao and ōhanga.