Imagine a community where everyone has equal access to good, wholesome, nutritious food. 

Everyone has plenty to eat, and everyone knows how to prepare that food so they and their families/whānau never go hungry and can maximise the health benefits that go hand in hand with good nutrition. 

It might seem like a lofty ambition. But it’s exactly what the Murihiku Kai Collective are working towards.

The Murihiku Kai Collective was formed two years ago following an in-depth look at the state of play in the kai space by Healthy Families Invercargill. 

That deep dive included interviews with families, individuals, and organisations working within the food security space, and led to a series of think tank-style workshops where invested organisations and individuals worked together to design possible solutions to the issues that had been raised by the community. 

Some of the issues were clear cut – there were concerns about access to good food, and lack of knowledge about how to prepare it. Families were often resorting to buying cheap but less healthy options because it was what they could afford or relying on takeaway options because they were time poor or did not know how to prepare and cook their own healthier options. What was less obvious was the impact of community stressors – less blatant, but nonetheless important contributors – a lack of locally produced fresh produce for instance, or a loss of knowledge around growing vegetables. 

It became clear, through the think tank workshops that the solution was never going to come in the form of a catch-all approach. Fixing a situation that has been created through years of societal changes would involve a collaborative approach. One that was centred around the community, and one that was led by people not only working in the space, but also living in it. 

The Murihiku Kai Collective was born. 

The Collective is made up of a number of thought leaders from community groups who are formed around the common vision of 'Enabling Southlanders to have the capability to produce and access Good Food' 

Member organisations include Healthy Families Invercargill, the Southern Farmers’ Market, South Coast Environment Society, Koha Kai, Waihopai Rūnaka, South Alive, the Invercargill City Council, local schools and community stakeholders. 

The collective recognised early on that its ambitions would not be achieved overnight. The issues it was seeking to address were years in the making, so a considered approach needed to be implemented to change mindsets and systems. 

But when you have a group of passionate people working together, action usually follows. And this is exactly what has happened with the Collective. 

Initial action was around connecting and strengthening each other’s mahi, such as supporting South Alive with education talks, and promoting the collective’s Kai harvests so communities have access to low-cost local produce. Collective action also included developing a cohesive strategy around food sovereignty in Southland and submissions to Long Term Plans for the Invercargill City, Southland District, and Gore District Councils, and Environment Southland. 

And that collective movement has been noticed. 

Less than two years after forming, it was recognised with an award at the Environment Southland Community Awards, and it has also been instrumental in making changes in other areas – it is working with the Southern Farmers’ Market to strengthen the market’s community gardens, and therefore increasing access to locally grown produce and encouraging people to grow their own. 

It is involved in a seed saving initiative, driven by the South Coast Environment Society’s Southland Seed Savers Network, aimed at increasing the availability of heritage seed stock that has already proven to grow well in Southland conditions, an important factor for home gardeners who don’t have access to commercial greenhouses that can replicate microclimates. 

It has worked with food redistribution organisation KiwiHarvest (which is also a member of the Collective) to encourage producers and suppliers to donate excess food so it can be redistributed to those needing it, and it is currently supporting Healthy Families Invercargill with its Murihiku Maara concept – an initiative designed to increase the number and success of community gardens in Invercargill. 

Kai Collective member Dave Kennedy, who is also vice chair of Farmers’ Markets New Zealand sees the potential of the Collective as a national prototype. 

“We (Farmers’ Markets New Zealand) believe Southland's food insecurity and lack of affordability is a national issue. I believe the Murihiku Kai Collective has already proven its worth with a number of initiatives and sharing of knowledge. I would like to see the current situation of Southland providing round 10% of our food needs rise to at least 50% within the next decade and all households having affordable access to healthy local fresh food. I would also like to see the Murihiku Kai Collective concept adopted in other regions.” 

Locally, the collective has provided organisations with a much-needed network on which to build and strengthen ideas. 

Annette Trent, Southern Farmers’ Market chair, sees this as one of the primary benefits. 

“There are huge benefits Southern Farmers’ Market can reap by being part of a collective group with a common focus, and to form strong networks with other individuals and groups within this sector locally.  This collaboration has already been a huge bonus for Southern Farmers’ Market and we can see tangible benefits with the advent of a partnership with Healthy Families to grow our capacity, and an on the ground-working-relationship with Koha Kai who have helped us to kick-start our community garden initiative - a big goal for SFM which is part of our foundational ethos is to connect local growers with local consumers.” 

Being part of the collective ensured the Southern Farmers’ Market stayed connected to the local community and was able to build relationships with others who may be able to use its platform. 

“We are determined to use the Southern Farmers’ Market role within our community for positive gain for as many locals as possible and being part of the Murihiku Kai Collective means we are constantly thinking, sharing, and finding out about new ways of doing things. It means we can share resources and ideas...We see more and more opportunities for collaboration in this space, we have only just begun.” 

That connection role, and the importance it plays in creating sustainable change within the community has also been valued by the Invercargill City Council’s Parks and Recreation team.  

Parks Planning Manager Lesley McCoy said the council initially joined the Collective with the intention of supporting a community-led resource to enable and coordinate the use of the council’s green spaces managed and occupied by community groups, which later expanded to include more edibles within council’s plantings plan.  

“We had a series of community gardens using council spaces discontinue and we want to enable the community to use these spaces in the way they feel is appropriate and sustainable.”  

Parks and Recreation Landscape Asset Planner Sheryll Ashton said creating opportunities that can be used for edible plantings and be publicly harvested has been a spin-off of that connection.  

“It’s reinvigorated and widened the scope of where edible plants might be and it’s opened that discussion about letting people harvest from displays.”  

“It’s raising the profile of edible plants being at the front of people’s properties instead of just being hidden in the back. It’s helping to raise awareness of vegetables being attractive in their own right.”  

“It’s really great for us to be connected with the community that’s also interested in horticulture.” 

For South Alive, being part of a collective that is actively working in a similar space has been hugely positive, particularly when it comes to building networks and relationships, and also advocating and lobbying for change. 

“It’s just that kind of cross pollination of what we are doing with our volunteers and our groups here and what the community is saying they want and being able to tap into that wider think tank to support it,” manager Julz Orr, who also works in public health, said. 

South Alive volunteers have always been passionate about supporting the South Invercargill community and being able to be part of a collective working within a wider area helps provide further ideas and inspiration, she said. 

“The Collective and the Collective’s ideas, we want to be part of that wider impact, but we still need to listen to our community’s ideas. With the collective, we can help build on our initiatives around things like food insecurity, ensuring ideas and actions in the community reduce food poverty and increase access. It’s just got a really good synergy.” 

Article added: Monday 28 March 2022