Food, aroha and inspiring talk draws hundreds in Whanganui

Attendees help themselves to food at the Creating Space Within Aotearoa event in Whanganui. Photo / Lewis Gardner

A mixture of free and fresh food and inspiring messages about aroha drew hundreds to Whanganui's Kowhai Park.

The Saturday event was the first Creating Space Within Aotearoa occasion held here, with the aim of inspiring people to live off the land in the old way.

It was organised by Whanganui man Te Ururangi Rowe, who said it was a blast. He was working with visitor Harlem Ratapu, who has been involved with the same event in Gisborne.

But there were lots of other local helpers who spent days gathering and preparing the kai.

The event had a central area for eating and playing music. There were also four zones, for information and inspiration.

Martial arts are demonstrated in the tinana zone. Photo / Lewis Gardner

The tinana zone was about health and the body, the moana zone was about gathering seafood, the ngahere zone about hunting deer, pigs and goats in the forest and the whare zone about growing fruit and vegetables at home.

Attendees choose which zone interests them. Photo / Lewis Gardner