Northland hunting and cooking aficionado — aka Stef the Māori — sets sights on cooking at sea

Stefan Apiata (right) with his grandfather Koro Apiata, grandmother Jill Whare, dad Shane Apiata, and Stef’s children Freya and Odin who all support his Kiwi outdoor cooking shows.

A Northland food entrepreneur and social media sensation is taking his cooking talents out to sea after rebuilding a run-down boat.

Stefan Apiata — aka Stef the Māori — has made a name for himself in the Far North fishing, hunting and gathering then cooking up his catches on open fires, hāngī, and camp ovens.

Six years ago, he created a social media page from his Ōhaeawai home by posting his adventures and outdoor cooking videos online.

The 33-year-old, of Ngāpuhi descent, a qualified mechanical engineer by trade, learned how to cook traditional Māori hāngī from his dad and granddad when he was young, and picked up European-style cooking as a teenager.

“When I was younger, I always had an interest in food and had a passion for it,” he said.

“Not having a lot of money, I figured out how to cook it for myself.”

Apiata was beekeeping with his dad, Shane, for seven years and had done a bit of sawmilling when he started a social media page “for fun” in 2018.

A year later it had become a burgeoning business, and he is now fulltime on social media with more than 200,000 followers.

Stef cooking lamb chops on the new stainless-steel barbecue on his boat.

Apiata has about 138,000 Facebook followers, 16,000 on Snapchat, 36,000 TikTok followers and 32,000 on Instagram.

He has one fulltime staff member, and a website with his own range of barbecue rubs, crate day T-shirts, and oyster, fishing, and chef knives.

Apiata said his son Odin, 10, and daughter Freya, 8, often went with him on adventures, helping him harvest and forage wild foods for his videos.

Over time, his style of cooking has evolved to include American-style slow barbecuing with coal and wood.

Apiata loves his lifestyle.

“I can’t complain about the lifestyle, it’s not your standard 9-5.”

Apiata recently travelled across the ditch to Melbourne and Brisbane to promote his products and expand his customer base, and he plans to visit Sydney this month.

Maori carvings on Stefan Apiata’s repurposed launch include a 2.5m pou on the front symbolising Tangaroa, the god of the sea.

He also bought a run-down yacht, which he has spent several months getting seaworthy to add another facet to his business.

Atarua was launched in 1963 and has undergone major renovations including removing its mast and sails, and installing new underwater lights, along with a fridge, freezer, water tanks, sound system, and fresh paint.

Now a launch, it also has impressive Māori carvings including a 2.5m pou on the front symbolising Tangaroa, the god of the sea, and two large side panels also based on Māori mythology.

They were carved by whānau member Adrian Hau, of Ngāti Rangi, from tōtara on family land.

The Atarua has undergone major renovations and is now being used as part of Stef’s outdoor cooking and social media business.

Apiata said he was grateful to Trent Hodgson, a boatbuilder from Northland Marine Contractors in Whangārei, who helped him get the project under way and offered guidance on the project.

Hodgson said he got to know Stef “through our shared love of food”.

“We met at the time when he bought Atarua.

“I have enjoyed the last few months working and getting to know Stef and Shane. They have become fast friends and I wish them well for the future.”

Atarua was relaunched on March 29 in Whangārei after a karakia by Adrian Hau.

Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.