Many Te Toi Mahana whānau will know the friendly smile and beautiful moko kauae of Tina Walker-Ferguson. Tina is a community advocate passionate about food sovereignty in Aotearoa and has been supporting our tenants to establish a māra kai (food garden) at Pukehīnau apartments. The māra is called Te Ngae’e o Rau ‘īnau.

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Kia ora Tina, nice to kōrero. Tell me a bit about your whakapapa and where you grew up?

 

He uri tēnei o Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, me Kāi Tahu. My people are from the East Coast. I also have many ancestors from England and Scotland. A lot of my whānau on my Pākēhā side lived in Wellington and Lower Hutt for some time. My English ancestors came out in the early 1900s and lived in Aro Valley, so I feel connected  to here in that sense. Knowing that my Pākēhā ancestors disrupted the land here, it feels very restorative to help heal the whenua through māra

kai. I was born in Napier/Ahuriri but grew up mostly in Whakatāne right by beach. I watched my brother grow giant kumara and all sorts of things in the warm sandy soils there. I wasn’t so interested in growing food back then, but now I’m really into growing kai… and making art.

 

What sort of art to you make?

 

I like to paint portraits, especially of people who have passed away, ancestors. I feel like it’s a healing thing to do. I also like to paint on things I find in the māra,

like dried out zucchini and hue. So, my mahi toi (art) and my mahi kai (gardening) are very connected.

 

How did you get involved in the māra kai project at Pukehinau?

 

I was approached by Kaicycle, a local food sovereignty & composting organisation. I had been working for the past few years in Te Awa Karangi (Hutt Valley) in different food sovereignty projects, and had recently moved into the city, so for me it felt like a natural fit to get more involved with a major project in town. I started around Matariki 2023 and we finished our first year around Matariki this year.

 

And how have you found working at Pukehīnau?

 

It’s been so heartwarming - all the connections and learning! I feel really grateful to be able to hang out with a bunch of people who really care about the whenua and enjoy each other’s company. Everyone has oodles of knowledge to share, I feel like I’m learning so much every week. People tell me it feels like whānau. It’s been a really special thing to be part of.

 

There seems to be a really cool bunch people working at the māra kai?

 

Yeah, there are some beautiful people. It has been great to be able to find connection in the city with all sorts of people. Connections to home and even people from other parts of the world –sharing their journey of learning to speak English, and about Māori culture in Aotearoa. There’s this lovely woman from Thailand who lives right in front of the māra, and she’s been watering it and caring for the kai. And they’ll bring out their beautiful kai from Thailand and share it with everyone. So much manaaki.

 

So, what’s next for you?

 

I want to continue working in spaces around food sovereignty. I always have dreams about a local food system where everything we consume comes from the region that we live - and I think it is achievable. I’d love to continue to work towards that vision and make more art