Kai Oranga Kaupae Tuatoru and Kaupae Tuawhā
I was a newly single mum and I knew I needed to do something positive for myself and my little boy. I decided to take a chance on the Kai Oranga programme. It was amazing! We learnt not just about how to feed ourselves but also how to nourish our bodies, and produce kai for our whānau without relying on money or supermarkets.
Kai Oranga is sustainable food production using traditional and modern techniques. You learn about kaitiakitanga right from the basics of planting seeds. The journey I started three years ago created a passion, and I just kept implementing it into my lifestyle. When I started, I was a pre-diabetic smoker and my overall health wasn’t good. Since being around a group of positive people who are all on the same journey toward healing and better health, I have given up smoking and my health has improved. I feed my whānau, my parents and brothers and sisters, and give excess kai away to the community.
I’m teaching Kai Oranga now in New Plymouth. It’s not just a 20-week course – it’s something you take on for a lifetime. It’s a journey, and if you’re open to all the gifts that you’re going to be given over that time, it’s a lifestyle that you will forever be grateful for.
Faren Taylor graduated in 2017 with Kai Oranga Level 3 and in 2018 with Kai Oranga Level 4.
Kumara Tapapa from Faren's maara kai
Kimihia he huarahi ako
What can you study?
Kai Oranga (Kaupae Tuatoru)
This level 3 programme will teach you to grow your own health food for your whānau and your marae and pass this knowledge on to others.
Kai Oranga (Kaupae Tuawhā)
This level 4 programme focuses on food sustainability, and management, as well as empowering Māori to exercise control over all facets of the food that they grow, eat and manage.