What do you hope to achieve this year?

Miriam | Te Tai Poutini

Miriam is launching a programme in Tākaka to teach young people about future farming, sustainable food production, and fostering a stronger connection to the land and community through te ao Māori.

“I’d like to bring a child into the world and I think that’s an act of hope. And I don’t think that everything is going to be amazing but I think there are so many beautiful things happening and so many people opening their eyes to connection with te taiao. I think there is a real hope and potential for change.

This year I’m starting a programme in Tākaka teaching young people about future farming. I’m trying to encourage young people to think about alternative ways of farming and growing food.

At the end of this year, I’d love to have eight young people who know more about land, systems, and how to integrate te ao Māori into that. I want to introduce them to the marae and the amazing whānau that live in Tākaka, and show them the different ways we can grow food while thinking about the ecosystems that give us our kai.

I believe that growing our own food puts power in the people’s hands. If we understand all the work that goes into food, we develop a much more empathetic understanding and connection to our taiao and to each other.

I think there’s a huge separation between the growers and the urban communities, and I’d like to pull that connection together. Growing food is such a powerful way of doing that.”