INDIGENOUS ORGANIC PRODUCTION IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
This is an excerpt from the 2025 Organic Sector Market Report, contributed by Moko Morris, Faren Taylor and Tauehe Jefferies from Te Waka Kai Ora. Download the full report here.
Hua Parakore is the world’s first Indigenous verification and validation system for Kai Atua (pure food) developed by Te Waka Kai Ora. Hua Parakore can act as a korowai (cloak) around other organic certification systems, offering dual verification. There is the opportunity to bring this well-established Māori korowai to organic regenerative agriculture, bringing Indigenous innovation and distinctiveness. It is important that Māori efforts in the organic sector, such as Hua Parakore, are strengthened for implementation uptake, particularly in the newly emerging landscape of organic regulation and what this means for Māori, who have already designed a system through extensive research.
Te Waka Kai Ora operates through a regional network of communities – ensuring local networks provide support and education and training to local whānau, hapū, iwi and hāpori. We promote and navigate many spaces, teaching and modelling Hua Parakore – all coordinated and delivered by regional facilitators. Te Waka Kai Ora also mandates the inclusion of Hua Parakore within tertiary education programmes delivered nationally by Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, and is an integral part of Te Anamata – A kai o tō tatou taone, Our City Our Future, Wellington City Council’s food strategy.
From kohanga reo to urban farms, local government to learning environments, marae to backyards, Hua Parakore is spreading its values and resonating throughout Aotearoa for those who are demanding more from their food, and who are wanting to support Indigenous pathways that ensure, through whakapapa, that the stories of land and people are retold, remembered and honoured. This also contributes to the process of decolonisation, by understanding whose unceded land we walk on, and how, through whanaungatanga, we reconcile and heal together.
The Māori economy has seen significant growth and transformation, increasing from $17 billion in 2018 to $32 billion in 2023, with the Māori asset base growing from $69 billion in 2018 to $126 billion in 2023, with 16% from the primary sector. Economic impact estimates show that Māori-owned assets in the primary sector are worth over $10 billion, with the primary sector forming the largest portion of the Māori economy.
Māori-led frameworks such as Hua Parakore represent a strategic opportunity for Aotearoa New Zealand to achieve multiple national priorities across the environment, economy, and health sectors. These systems are proven, scalable models of kaitiakitanga and sustainable economic development if they are resourced adequately.
The Indigenous Organic Market
The market for organic food is growing rapidly, driven by: increasing consumer awareness of the benefits of sustainable food systems; the shift towards healthier eating habits; and a desire for products with a lower environmental impact.
This growing demand for organic food is further built on, expanded and strengthened with a range of extra, unique attributes of Māori and Indigenous organic food systems. This broader value proposition makes Indigenous, organic food even more attractive to environmentally conscious consumers. These unique attributes include:
Cultural Significance: Indigenous food systems, practice and traditional knowledge are gaining recognition and appreciation, leading to a demand for products that are rooted in these cultures.
Local Provenance: Māori communities – whānau, hapū and iwi – are inherently linked to their local communities and there is growing demand for food grown locally.
Indigenous Sustainability Practices: Indigenous food production practices bring extra elements to enhance other sustainable practices.
Unique Products and Flavors: Indigenous organic food often offers unique ingredients and flavours that differentiate it from mainstream organic products – including unique Indigenous foods and menus.
The Future of Hua Parakore
Te Waka Kai Ora has been heavily involved in whānau, hapū, iwi and local hāpori and will continue to expand the support to these communities. Te Waka Kai Ora is also now investigating the role it might play in expanding the reach of Hua Parakore to include Māori landowner collectives – Māori land trusts and incorporations farming on their land blocks. There is significant interest from this group as to how they might adopt Kai Atua principles into their commercial farm operations. Some are already involved in organic verification and certification regimes, but are interested to know how they can potentially take this to another level under the Hua Parakore verification and validation programme, and what this means to lead with tikanga-based values.
In order to respond to the demand for this kind of commercial-level support, Te Waka Kai Ora will be exploring some of the key challenges and opportunities faced by Indigenous food systems operating at a commercial level:
Marketing and Education: To further expand the market, it is crucial to educate consumers about the benefits of Hua Parakore and to effectively market its unique Indigenous qualities.
Supply Chain Development: Building robust supply chains that connect Indigenous producers with consumers is essential for ensuring the availability and accessibility of these products.
Verification, Certification and Standards: Developing clear verification and certification standards that reflect the specific needs and practices of Indigenous food producers is important for building consumer trust.
Support for Local and Indigenous Producers: Consumers are increasingly interested in supporting local farmers and businesses, including Indigenous-owned farms.
Niche Market Opportunities: Indigenous food production, particularly with traditional practices, offers potential for premium niche products and markets.
Te Waka Kai Ora is interested in hearing from any Māori landowner collectives interested in progressing this work in collaboration with Te Waka Kai Ora.
Hua Parakore directly supports:
Aotearoa New Zealand’s emissions reduction plan – by promoting low input carbon-conscious agriculture
Te Mana o te Taiao – Aotearoa Biodiversity Strategy – through native planting, ecosystem-based solutions through restoration and protection of freshwater
Sustainable Development Goals – especially those related to:
Climate Action (SDG 13)
Life on Land (SDG 15)
Zero Hunger (SDG 2)
Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10)
Investing in Hua Parakore through Te Waka Kai Ora means strategic investment could:
Scale existing initiatives to reach more landowners and demonstrate conversion possibilities and financial security through tikanga-based values
Fund education, research and case studies with incentives for conversion to reclaim indigenous knowledge alongside science and innovation
Support cross-sector collaboration with health, environment, youth and economic agencies
Develop local pathways to reduce food insecurity and reduce the need for charity-based models
Indigenous-led systems such as Hua Parakore offer more than a verification; they are catalysts for land healing, economic resilience, and cultural integrity as determined through rangatiratanga / self-determination. Hua Parakore supports connection to whenua and restoration of Indigenous knowledge systems. It offers a pathway to rangatiratanga through Kai Atua food landscapes that value Indigenous knowledge and encourage a vibrant future.