Growing Kai Sovereignty - March Newsletter 2025
Kia ora,
Welcome to the Biome Newsletter, March edition—featuring updates from our giftees and local ecosystem.
We are living through a profound cultural shift, one that calls us to realign with the natural world, to look back at ancient and indigenous ways of being, seeking the threads of guidance for returning to right relationship with the Earth.
The Earth does not need rescuing—it is we who must rediscover our place within the web of life, and particularly how we produce our kai / food in a more sustainable and local way.
This month, we're highlighting healthy food systems in Aotearoa NZ - in particular, celebrating the launch of Papawhakaritorito Trust’s new book Pātaka Kai: Growing Kai Sovereignty.
This beautifully designed kaupapa Māori pukapuka / book reveals insights of the diverse solutions we need for improving our food futures, featuring the connection between our biodiversity crisis and climate meltdown; our broken food systems; global corporations owning our seeds; the impact of agricultural colonisation and the benefits that a return to Indigenous values and practices could deliver.
Below are some pictures from the recent launch at Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae, and following, we hope you enjoy this month’s collection of updates.
Ngā mihi aroha,
Biome Trust
Celebrating the launch of new book Pātaka Kai last week.
Giftee Updates
Happen Films revisits The Plummery 5 years since the first film, where in only 100m2 of growing space, Kat Lavers grows 92% of her weekly vegetables in just 4 hours a week. More
Mangaroa Farms is now delivering freshly harvested Vege Boxes for customers to pick up in Wellington / Hutt Valley. Express interest or subscribe here.
Future Whenua recently hosted the fifth annual Summit, merging diverse perspectives pushing the boundaries of traditional farming. See photos
Kelmarna Gardens is hosting 'Pathway to Abundance Series' with Judy Keats, a renowned permaculture & regenerative agriculture practitioner. More
Kaicycle are hosting a Soil Health 101 workshop this Saturday 5th April at their gardens in Pōneke Wellington. More
Learning Environment is now offering eco-sourced native plant seedlings from their on-site nursery at wholesale prices. More
Tīwaiwaka’s Pa Ropata / Rob McGowan shares perspectives on the Gene Technologies Bill from the perspective of mauri. More
Kaupapa Tu Wairua is exploring the integration of rongoā Māori with psychedelic assisted therapy to address problematic methamphetamine use in Māori communities. More
Kōanga Institute is offering a range of Cover Crop seed mixes to feed the soil and prepare garden beds for planting kai. More
Ruamahanga Farm Foundation is a community oriented wetland and riparian forest restoration on eight hectares of land in the Wairarapa region. More
Underground Festival released a short video of the recent festival - 2 days celebrating soil, food and farming. More
Toru Education is hosting a range of events in the Greater Wellington region, including the monthly Toru Trail, permaculture workshops, bush tracking, and food forest design. More
Organics Aotearoa highlights Kiwi Gene therapy scientist's warning over the proposed GMO bill. More
Local Futures reflects on the 2024 Feminine Futures event, aiming towards enhancement of living beings, human, non-human, and Earth. More
Rewiring Aotearoa profiles the off-grid energy system which powers the entire Headwaters Eco Lodge in Glenorchy. More
Center for Strategic Philanthropy CEO Bill Kermode features on the Ma Earth Interview series, reflecting on a decade of learning at NEXT Foundation. More
Mangaroa Farms is offering a fully furnished 4-5 bedroom home as a rental opportunity for a family interested in living as part of the local village. More
One Earth features ethnobotanist & food sovereignty activist Linda Black Elk, on using traditional plants for medicine and nutrition to protect food sovereignty. More
Agrarian Trust is taking legal action to defend farmers and their communities from impacts of Trump’s funding freeze. Every donation will be matched up to $25K through April 30th. More
'Sitting pretty' by Greg Fletcher - Te Korowai o Waiheke Photo Competition.
Additional News
Predator Free NZ highlights Waiheke’s efforts of predator control, meaning the island has seen 76% more native birds in just four years. More
Donna Kerridge is hosting 'Connecting to the Taiao Through and Indigenous Lens' kōrero and natives walk at the Auckland Botanical Gardens, Tuesday 15 April. More
Zach Bush MD explains how the use of widely used household herbicide “glyphosate” negatively impacts human health. More
Lake Hawea Station is regenerating 7km of lakefront native forest to protect critical biodiversity, boost carbon sequestration, enhance water quality and involve community. More
Whenua Warrior is supporting Manurewa Marae to introduce indigenous food sovereignty into the community by planting hundreds of Kūmara Tipu. More
“When a complex system is far from equilibrium, small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos have the capacity to shift the entire system to a higher order.”
