“Knowing we have a heart for people Leigh rang me in 2020 and asked if Rob and I would be interested in culling deer on Puketoro, and giving the meat to those who needed it.”
Lisa said Leigh’s desire was to see the animals off Puketoro go to the families in need up the coast.
“It was just after this that I met Tui Keenan and we realised we shared a love for hunting.”
The Dauntons invited Tui and husband Comrie to join them on their inaugural Puketoro hunt.
“It was a great weekend and we all got on well,” Lisa said
The two women got their heads together and decided to create the Kaiwhakangau brand, part of which involved hunting for the community foodbanks.
Lisa said the food supply idea soon morphed into them working in with The Village Butchery in Gisborne who are Ministry for Primary Industries certified butchers.
“As part of it Tui developed Kai Connect, and she works with many of the foodbanks and marae in the district.
“They are given fresh venison mince but pay the $3/kg processing cost — vastly cheaper than the actual cost at the supermarket.”
The Dauntons get to go hunting more often than the Keenans because they have adult children and because Comrie works shift work and often at the weekend, she said.
“Also, Tui wears so many hats in this community and nationally meaning she is often not available.”
The Dauntons have hunted every four to six weeks over the past two years.
“The deer on Puketoro are a nuisance to the station as they eat grass needed for stock, and recently we clocked up 100 of them.”
Some weekends the couple have come home with four, other times up to 13.
“We have a network of people in our team.
“There are a couple of builder lads in their early 30s who love what we do, and they happily give up weekends to hunt with us.
“Some come who aren’t hunters but love to get away from things and enjoy the wide open spaces.
“They are often our spotters as the deer are either way down a valley or high on a hillside.”
Part of Kaiwhakangau was to support and inspire others, she said.
“Our non-hunters adore coming and as it’s at least a two, often three-night stay, it’s a fantastic time to reset away from their busy lives.
“Sometimes it’s an easy shot and retrieval, other times it’s a hard carry up steep terrain. This is where our fit young men come in.”
Lisa says she and Rob are both in their late 50s and find now they have to work smarter not harder.
“We probably supply the majority of the meat for the Kai Connect kaupapa, but we also appreciate and acknowledge with huge respect and appreciation the solo hunters. We have quite a few hunters who drop a venison or two at the butcher for Kai Connect and would happily welcome more.
“One such person is the lovely Sam Fisher from Motu,” Lisa said.
“He goes to school at Gisborne Boys’ High and stays in town during the week.
“Often on a Sunday night he would stop by our place on the way to town with a deer for Kai Connect.
“We recently took him to Puketoro for a weekend hunt as a thank you for his own efforts.
“He loved it and is an epic self-taught young hunter, mature beyond his 15 years,” she said.
The group has supplied 2.5 tonnes of meat to foodbanks since starting Kai Connect.
“The weekend of our first hunting trip Tui and I were coming off the hill and I said to Tui that I had always dreamed of designing women’s hunting wear. So much of the gear was designed for men and shaped for men.
“She laughed and said ‘me too!’”
The two women got together and dreamed and schemed.
Fast forward two years and Lisa and Tui have just launched their e-commerce outdoor clothing band, Kaiwhakangau (meaning hunter) at the “Olympics” of hunting and outdoor wear, The Sika Show, in Hamilton.
“While the dream and a lot of the direction with this is ours, both our men roll their sleeves up too and get involved. They are 100 percent behind us.”
Every $100 of garment sales contributes 1kg of mince to the Kai Connect kaupapa.
“The heart of our brand is to inspire others to venture outdoors and connect with the uplifting benefits of nature,” Lisa said.
“It is a chance for families to spend time away from devices and reconnect.
“Or for those who are under huge work pressures or struggling mentally to be encouraged to get outside. Walk the beach, go for a bush walk, climb a hill and take in the beauty around us.
“Our logo is a mountain and koru. The mountain represents many things. To Maori it’s a place of great awe and spiritual significance. It’s also a place where you can go and get a different perspective on the world around you,” she said.
“The koru is new life.
“When people see our logo on clothing or on a vehicle we want it to to be a reminder for them to stop, look after themselves and their whānau.
“We also want to reach further than this and encourage people to look after Aotearoa,” Lisa said.
“We are preserving our land through hunting, trapping and mātauranga Māori initiatives.”
The Dauntons hope more people will want to come on board and join their “tribe, to look after each other and our beautiful country”.
