Learning to embrace the resources around us
Jade Temepara tells Sarah Pollok about her new garden and food show
Tell us about He Ka¯ kano.
The show is a lifestyle series that is basically all about teaching people how to grow their own food and cook it healthily as well as checking out the backyards of a few Kiwi celebrities. Tiki Taane is a really good friend of mine so he gave us a tour of his little vege patch, and Dr Hinemoa Elder has this beautiful garden on Waiheke, it’s like a little piece of paradise. We also make delicious meals through the series that are inspired by traditional Ma¯ ori cooking methods, which has been fantastic.
How did your journey to gardening and organic food start?
Well, I have five children, so I guess it started when I was thinking about what to feed them and looking at healthier alternatives. Eventually, I started my own charity organisation that taught people how to grow food at home, which led to me setting up Ka¯ kano Cafe in Christchurch. There is a 160sq m garden that supplies the food for the cafe but also hosts our educational workshops.
What about people who aren’t so gifted in the garden?
Working in the education space, I meet a lot of busy people who want to make drastic changes in their lives, but don’t know where to start. My hope is that they just start one thing at a time. Just master one thing, even if it’s herbs in a pot or being inspired by natural foods the next time they make a school lunch. I mean, I’ve been growing my own food for 15 years but we all have to start somewhere.
You mentioned a focus on traditional Ma¯ ori cuisine?
This show is really a testament to the ethos I have in my own life and diet but also of my cooking school in Christchurch. It is really vital, especially for our Ma¯ ori people, to reconnect with the land and the resources we have around us. We have such beautiful kaimoana and wonderful fruit and veges that have a history and a whakapapa, and so the show just embraces those things.
What is a myth about healthy lifestyles? Everyone loves the idea of being the healthiest they can be but can be a little uncertain as to how it fits into their life, so they end up buying what is convenient. I know that growing and eating healthy food isn’t the saviour of everything, but it’s just such an amazing way to live.
You interact with a lot of young children in the show, how did they respond to getting involved?
Often kids aren’t being taught much about food at home, so school is the only opportunity, and the kids loved it. They are like sponges, they wanted to know everything they possibly could and it was great to help create a way for them to explore that both at school and at home.
Any highlights from the first 10 episodes?
We visited so many children and seeing their wee faces after they’ve weeded out a patch or helped create a garden was just amazing. The cooking is incredible as well — we get to make some really beautiful dishes.