The story of Te Whakatōhea is indistinguishable from its relationship with kai. Starting with the iwi’s migration narratives from Hawaiki to Aotearoa New Zealand, through an economic flourishing that followed initial contact with European settlers, then as a matter of survival following raupatu, kai has been an integral component of Te Whakatōhea culture and tikanga. Today this relationship with kai is manifest in the industry-leading aquaculture enterprises of the iwi; however, there are also serious challenges present in terms of its people’s nutritional wellbeing, with access to fresh kai in the Ōpōtiki rohe limited for a high portion of the population.

This manuscript presents a communication framework embedded in whakapapa. It highlights the experiences of whānau Māori as they discuss the factors that impact their health and wellbeing. It also explores how they deal with socioeconomic challenges, which are contextualised in relation to the whenua, associated ancestral place names and kinship ties. The opening of discursive spaces provides platforms for voice, and led to the establishment of māra kai on ancestral whenua and the (re) clamation of Indigenous knowledge and place names in Feilding, Manawatū.