Te Mahi Māra Hua Parakore: A Māori Food Sovereignty Handbook

Māori food sovereignty is the practice of ensuring food-secure futures for whānau, independent of multinational and national food systems and in harmony with Te Ao Tūroa (the natural world). It is about whānau having access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that is produced locally and free from chemicals, pesticides and genetic modification.This book received a publication support grant (PSG) from NPM, and makes a connection between the global and the local, between the political and the personal - and encourages us to take control over the food security of our whānau, providing practical advice on how to grow kai traditionally and in a kaupapa Māori way.Jessica Hutchings (hua parakore gardener, activist, academic and certified Te Waka Kai Ora grower) explains the political implications of the decisions that we make about growing and eating kai. She encourages us to take control over the food security of our whanau, providing practical advice on how to grow kai in accordance with the kaupapa of hua parakore, inspiring us with stories of hua parakore heroes and reassuring us that becoming a hua parakore gardener is a journey that anyone can embark onWith communities increasingly facing the challenges of food costs and security, rampant consumerism, climate change and oil pressures the book seeks to inspire its readers with stories of how to grow food holistically, organically and purely - guided by the knowledge of past generations, and combined with the shared experiences of other hua parakore growers from around the country.Ultimately it seeks to reassure us all, that this journey towards exerting some control over our food sources and becoming a hua parakore gardener can be realised by all our communities - whether urban or rural.