Rawiri, who's also the marae chairman and treasurer, said they entered because the marae kitchen will be upgraded next year and a prize from the show could help. The top prize is $70,000 worth of cash, kitchen equipment and food - but every marae will get something.
The 10 initial entrants will be whittled down to eight teams who will each compete during a maximum of three weekends in Auckland. Rawiri said cooking in their familiar marae kitchen was no problem. Facing unknown cooking challenges in a strange kitchen in Auckland was more of a worry.
He's 34, lives in Whakatane and teaches and leads research at Te Whare Wananga o Te Awanuiarangi. His brother Tumanako lives in Christchurch. He used to work in a bakery but now drives trucks and is a father and musician.
Little sister Rongomaiwahine is a boarder at St Joseph's Maori Girls' College in Napier, and the show's youngest competitor.
Mother Rachael Tinirau's parents were both raised on nearby Mokonui Rd. Though they don't live there now the family returns to Ranana Marae often.
None have had formal cooking lessons - they've learned by watching relatives and helping on marae.
"We aren't the typical marae cooks. We just cook what we like," Rawiri said.
Asked how he felt about having such a foodie family, dad John Hamlin said it was good, except that they didn't live at home.
"I have never seen them bake like this. It's worked out really good for this competition."
The team was to serve a three course dinner on Monday. The first course was the "Ruaka Platter".
It was an assortment of smoked local eel, smelt (well developed whitebait), puha pesto, homemade aioli and oils served with a kawakawa focaccia and unleavened flatbread.
The main meal is venison - from fallow and red deer provided by the Atihau Whanganui Incorporation. Mr Hamlin's usual method with venison is to boil it, but Tumanako was in charge of cooking that on Monday.
He said he was counteracting the strong gamy taste by marinating it in red wine, and then searing and baking it to medium rare.
Mr Hamlin was doing the vegetables - potato gratin, and roast carrots and beetroot served on a bed of cress.
The pudding was a mix of the marae's two standards, trifle and steamed pudding. Rongomaiwahine and Rawiri made a steamed-pudding-flavoured sponge for the trifle.
Ranana Marae hosts some big tribal occasions. One of the biggest was a hangi meal for more than 1000 at the signing of the Whanganui River settlement in August. The Waitokia family was in charge on that occasion, Rawiri said.
Tumanako Productions is filming the Marae Kai Masters series, and at least 35 per cent must be in te reo Maori.
Presenter Nevak Rogers says it's a dream job, because she can travel, visit marae with her children and eat great food.
Producer Kay Ellmers said the Hamlin/Tinirau team is the first from Whanganui to compete. It's also the closest family unit to enter.
All the teams have their travel and accommodation paid for when they compete in semifinals and finals in Auckland, and they also get paid a daily rate. But getting teams to compete is still the show's biggest challenge.
"It's hard for a marae to get some of their strongest cooks to compete, because they can be shy around cameras."
