Once were hunters: Charity Pātaka kai teaching people how to grow their own food

Denise Messiter with Tane Bradley and Masons Bruce Wiig and Eric Ryda at Paeroa's Pataka kai. Photo / Alison Smith

Give what you can, take what you need.

It’s the philosophy of multi-award winning charity Pātaka kai, which opened its doors less than two years ago and now not only feeds people, but enables them to grow their own kai.

Pātaka kai celebrated the Paeroa people behind its fast-growing initiative on the main street of town on Monday.

Veggie growing pods that were gifted by the Coromandel lodge of Freemasons are now growing fresh vegetables to restock supplies for the shop, and the gardens are an opportunity to teach people how to grow food themselves.

“It’s a powerful thing for people to feed themselves,” said Denise Messiter of Te Whariki manawahine o Hauraki - Hauraki Women’s Refuge. “We’ve all become responsible for the food poverty that we experience, and this place is a relief.”

Pātaka kai offers food and essentials to anyone in need, has become a source of comfort for socially isolated people or those seeking a chat, and grows fresh vegetables out the back to provide an ongoing supply.

Regular volunteer Keith Atwood - “the Wednesday person” - said everything from cash donations to surplus from people’s gardens to bulk loads of cleaning products have arrived through the doors at Pātaka kai.

“It’s awesome - I come home with little stories from people I’ve met throughout the day, it’s just a blast. I said to my granddaughter, I don’t do much mahi, I just give the odd can out and talk to people.”

Keith’s wife Jill Bradley said many elderly folk in particular need food, and are grateful to collect some for themselves and their mokopuna [grandchildren].

Among those present on Monday were members of the Freemasons Coromandel Lodge, which gifted $30,000 worth of vegetable growing pods to organisations and marae that will maximise the growing potential of the portable garden beds.

In all, nine masonic lodges in the Hauraki and Counties groups have provided 50 pods and soil to community groups and charities in their districts.

The Pātaka kai gift came after Coromandel Lodge Master Eric Ryda met Tane Bradley of Paeroa and asked the AgriSea GM who might benefit from the supply of fresh produce. The gift of four pods by the Freemasons is providing a chance to show people how to grow food themselves.

Tane arranged for Kings Seeds to come onboard, which is providing free seed stock, and AgriSea provides the soil nutrients.

Freemasons Coromandel Lodge celebrated its 150th year this year.

Eric said the Coromandel and Hauraki combined lodges felt “warm fuzzies” to contribute to those at the front line of poverty in the district.

The combined lodges have since raised $30,000 for 50 more vegetable growing pod gardens and are choosing where to place them for the greatest benefit of those in need.

“As Freemasons, we couldn’t think of a better place to be giving. When I met Tane, I thought, ‘If everyone in New Zealand had these values, what a great place it would be’, and I know I’m in the presence of a group of people that put community first,” he said.

“I can only imagine some of what you encounter on the front line every day and the toughness of the work that you do.”

Denise Messiter with Tane Bradley and Masons Bruce Wiig and Eric Ryda at Paeroa's Pataka kai. Photo / Alison Smith

Another initiative that sprouted with the support of Pātaka kai aims to help men - especially those struggling with relationship problems and violence - to relearn traditional and modern ways to fish and dive for kai moana.

Paora Sweeney, who is a trained counsellor, said this new venture is in its infancy but has already hosted one successful workshop, reaching men who are struggling with mental, emotional and financial strain.

Paora and Wal Peihopa, who works for Hauraki Women’s Refuge, say providing access to the coast with a boat for fishing and diving will connect men in the community to their capacity to be providers for the whānau, and can open doors to talk about family violence.

“It’s a new adventure, but we’ve been working in the Hauraki for between 20 and 30 years, and we’re passionate about working with our men,” said Paora. “People here are struggling, and this is an opportunity to talk about what’s happening with their families. We’re blessed to have Pātaka’s support.”

Denise Messiter said Pātaka kai was about food sovereignty.

“Some people think the only place you get food from is a supermarket. We’re reviving traditional knowledge in a 21st-century way. A lot of failed government policies and the impact of colonisation has displced the role of men who once were hunters and gatherers.

“It’s okay, because we haven’t lost this traditional knowledge or skill - we just need to revive it.”

Behind the scenes, Denise said Hauraki Women’s Refuge was working with Government agencies on addressing housing need in the Hauraki-Coromandel, and advising on food sovereignty.

“One of the challenges we have is answering: ‘Does it support people to be self-sustaining? Or does it encourage them to be dependent?’. This initiative helps them, because if they don’t know how to garden, someone will show them and help them reconnect to their ability to access kai moana.”

The NGO received a Hauraki-Coromandel Business Award for Best Community Organisation, which Denise says came as a total surprise since she did not know it had been entered.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pātaka kai initiatve did not even exist, she said.

“It came out of the lessons we learned from Covid and from whānau. Within 24 hours we were delivering kai packages to whānau, and what we saw was that if given the opportunity, impoverished whānau will grab the opportunity to make the best decisions for themselves.”

Hauraki iwi Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Harataunga and Ngāti Pūkenga worked together to deliver the food packages to those who needed it most.

“If they felt they didn’t need it that week, they knew who did need it,” says Denise. “The best community connectors are whānau themselves, and our role is to facilitate safe spaces and ensure they have access to the resource they need to strengthen how they operate.”