He Kai Oranga is an equity response to nutrition and wellbeing for Māori with chronic health conditions in the Hawke’s Bay (HB) community. He kai oranga is the community nutritional wellbeing part of a wider open access clinic in HB funded by the HBDHB (now Te Whatu Ora) that best meets the needs of Māori in key HB locations. The programme needs to be delivered in the community and designed and delivered in a manner that addresses inequities in access to primary health care services. To maximise the success of these initiatives, a kaupapa Māori lens is being applied.

We know Māori in the community place a high value on the importance of mātauranga Māori, including whānau engagement, traditional kai and retaining traditional knowledge around kai, valuing their experience from when they were a child, such as growing and preparing their own food. Nourishing Hawke’s Bay will provide mātauranga Māori support to Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi-based groups of He Kai Oranga to set up their individual programmes. In addition, however, we plan to contribute an analysis of the theory for sustainable change in the rohe’s (areas). This project has been impacted by cyclone Gabrielle and the future of He Kai Oranga is currently uncertain.