Ingredients

Each fortnight Spotswood College and New Plymouth Boys High School showcase the talents and tasty treats of their students who take food subjects, with a focus on lifelong skills that can be used every day to enhance the benefits of a healthy diet and lif

Last Friday evening our school hosted the annual Te Ka¯hui Whetu¯ Festival. This event involves most of the secondary schools in the region and showcases the talents of their Kapa Haka groups but with a point of difference – it is the staff who participate and perform, not the students.

Te Ka¯hui Whetu¯ is the brainchild of Tina Taylor, a Te Reo Ma¯ori teacher who used to teach in Taranaki, who saw it as an opportunity for teachers to learn the Ma¯ori language through song and dance and to feel what it is like for students when they get up on stage and perform Kapa Haka in front of a live audience, including the nerves and adrenaline rush which accompanies this.

Te Ka¯hui Whetu¯ is also about providing an opportunity for staff to step outside of their comfort zones and learn a new skill in a supportive, collaborative environment and have some fun, amongst colleagues, along the way.

To ensure all schools are able to participate, the hosting school selects a new Action song, or waiata, which every school is encouraged to learn, along with a selection of their own. Hence we are building on our Te Reo knowledge every year.

Nine schools participated, with Patea Area School and Te Pihipihinga Ka¯kano Mai i Rangia¯tea being first timers to participate in the event.

As with any event, the kai or food is an important part of the programme and we fed our 250 plus guests after the 5pm po¯whiri with a selection of delicious soups, breads, savouries and vegetable platters.

The variety of foods ensured our guests were well-catered for, according to 1 Tbsp oil 1 large onion – peeled and chopped 2 tsp crushed garlic 400-500g kumara – peeled and cut into medium sized pieces 1 large wedge pumpkin (700-800g) – skin removed and cut into medium sized pieces 3 cups water salt & pepper to taste food preferences and dietary requirements. Some of the soups were gluten and dairy-free or vegan. We also had gluten-free breads and vegetarian options.

Even the savouries catered for those who loved to have a classic Kiwi bridge pie or sausage roll! The platters added an element of colour and texture amongst the other items, not to forget the importance of their nutritional value.

I remember a similar menu being served at Opunake High School when they hosted the festival back in 2013 and it has been successfully carried on by each successive hosting school since then, because it works so well.

Many students assisted with the food preparation throughout the day and a number of staff volunteered to make soups in slow cookers, which they brought to school.

Our aim was to keep the food healthy and well-balanced and ensure the food service was efficient and speedy as we only had half an hour allocated for eating before the performances began.

We also encouraged sustainable practices by serving the food in recyclable cups, plates and spoons. Our aim was to avoid using plastic, which we achieved.

Supper was served at half-time break and we kept it simple and home-made. Staff were asked to make their favourite home-baked items and we were inundated with delicious treats which we cut into small pieces and they were accompanied with the mandatory tea, coffee, milo or water.

Our goal was to offer small treat-size morsels that were free from processing or pre-packaging. Everything was eaten so it must have all tasted great.

The festival itself was amazing and the opportunity to perform in the staff kapa haka group was a privilege and an empowering experience.

A lot of organisation goes into the planning of an event and I know, in the Food Department, we pride ourselves on being organised and well-planned to ensure the food service runs smoothly.

This is complimented by the many people who volunteered their time, energy and skills to assist in the delivery and service from beginning to end.

This week’s recipes are two of the soups that were served at the Festival. We hope you enjoy our Kumara and Pumpkin Soup and Curried Pea Soup.

Next year’s hosting school will be Waitara High School and we look forward to the challenge of learning a new waiata and cultural experience from them.