Healthy eating food portal idea f loated

Despite being a province that produced a large quantity of food, people are finding it hard to pick nutritious food options in Southland, a report has found.

Murihiku Kai Collective, which released the report yesterday, has found that Southlanders are choosing low quality and unhealthy options because of the high cost of vegetables and a low awareness of where to find healthy food options, among other reasons.

To change this, the community group has suggested a regional food co-ordinator role be created, as well as an online portal where Southlanders can access information such as where community gardens are, seasonal foods, and reviewing policy with the help of Māori leaders, which could be implemented by the co-ordinator with community organisations. The group has also suggested promoting the region’s food producers and bringing sustainable farming practices into focus.

Murihiku Kai Collective member Janice Lee said for the past three years, the group had been working on a regional strategy in collaboration with iwi, councils, parks and recreation, schools and the private sector to formulate a solution to the region’s problem.

The report called on the community to collectively support policies that made nutritious food affordable, advocate for its food producers, prioritise support and resources for kai creators and educators, and celebrate sustainable farming practices.

Southland’s most pressing challenges included a lack of awareness around the region’s food history and Māori food heritage, a drop in the number of vegetable growers due to an increase in dairying, and the absence of a “regional strategy” specific to Southland’s food challenges.

The report also stated that there was complexity in funding applications, and easier access to low-quality unhealthy food which contributed to the level of access Southlanders had to nutritious food.

The community group created a “call to action” framework for a more equitable food system after finding that there was a “lack of leadership” in the space.

The report also outlined that the number of vegetable growers in New Zealand had fallen by 68% from 2002 to 2022, from 2820 growers to 900. It added that 30.6% of Southland’s boys and 26.7% of girls aged 2-14 were overweight or obese.

The collective said it hoped that organisations would review the report to see what was already working in the community, or identify a gap.