Vegan day look at one woman's surprising choices
As a lifelong animal welfare advocate and self-described vegan, Hannah Hunter may have surprised her past self with some of the choices she’s made since moving to Northland.
This World Vegan Day(November 1), which follows World Vegetarian Month, her story provides a timely opportunity to examine what it means to eat ethically in this day and age - and, crucially - here in the Far North.
Kaeo-based Hunter decided to become a vegetarian when she was 10 - of her own accord - and chose veganism as an adult.
She moved to Northland with her husband and children, all of whom eat meat and dairy, six-and-a-half years ago from the UK.
“Since living here, I’ve become a lot more flexible,” Hunter said.
“I eat fish if my husband has caught it. And I eat eggs from our own hens.
“My problem with most animal foods is the way they’ve reached my plate.”
Claire Insley of the Vegan Society of Aotearoa New Zealand said her and many people’s -main reason for being vegetarian or vegan was to avoid animals’ unnecessary death, but that more people were making choices like Hunter’s.
“There’s a larger movement in that direction versus pure veganism, especially in a rural community where you have your own hens and local eateries might not offer options,” Insley said.
She agreed that a big part of the problem is “the way that we do it,” referring to the industrial capitalist paradigm’s reliance on factory farming and slaughterhouses.
“Anything that takes that out of the equation is ideal,” she said.
“However, if we go back to compassion, to what’s in your heart, and the truth that all life is precious, veganism will always be the main solution for me.”
Kaeo’s Hunter said as a child she was very aware of animal welfare stories, which motivated her to choose vegetarianism.
“It really disturbed me the way animals were treated.”
“I’m still motivated by the same thing, and still find it absurd that animals are farmed and transported for our own gain.”
Hunter said veganism was an easy label to meet her ethical standards out in the world at restaurants, where knowing the origin of ingredients is difficult.
She laughed after explaining the conditions under which she now eats some animal products. “I guess I’m not a vegan, after all, am I?”
“But for all intents and purposes, I am.”
According to Julia Clements who is president of the NZ Vegetarian Society, it’s difficult to know exactly how many people living in Aotearoa are vegetarian or vegan, but a 2021 national research project suggested a figure of 6 per cent.
“Over the last few years with climate change at the forefront of people’s minds, a lot of people have been going vegetarian or vegan to reduce their carbon footprint,” Clements said.
“There’s a large number of vegetarians and vegans in Northland, making up about 13 of our membership and growing.”
The Vegan Society’s estimate is slightly higher.
“We reckon 1 to 3 per cent of Kiwis are pure vegan, with up to 15 per cent identifying as vegetarian,” said Insley.
Although purists would oppose Hunter’s selfidentification as vegan, her discernment of even foods labelled vegan highlights an important point.
During a recent busy time at work, Hunter said she had started eating more frozen and packaged vegan food for convenience.
“But when you look at the ingredients on the back of those sausages, they’re not great.”
“What’s actually on my plate? And where did it come from?”
Her questions point to food miles, climate change and human health, which are crucial considerations for many vegans.
Although it’s widely agreed that choosing vegan is easier in cities, it seems Hunter’s rural setting may have supported her in reducing questionable vegan-labelled conveniences, while becoming flexible on previously off-limits but actually more sustainable choices.
“I imagine I would have made the same choices and gone without fish and eggs were we still living in the UK,” she said.
“I consider myself very lucky to be able to have choices like this.
“And very much want to enthuse that such choices are horses for courses. Everyone should eat what feels right for them.
“This is just what feels right for me. It won’t be right for others, and that’s fine.”