Category: Kai

Ka Pai Kai for Makarika School and Te Waha O Rerekohu Area School Tamariki

Posted on by Tracey Harkess

Nutritious kai and kōrero proved to be ka pai with tamariki from some of the region’s most remote schools.

As part of the region’s Manawakura approach to the Healthy Active Learning initiative, funded by Sport New Zealand, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, Whiti Ora are making their way around the coast delivering the kai workshops to support tamariki to grow up with positive eating attitudes and behaviours.

Last week Whiti Ora kaimahi (staff) travelled to the top of the East Coast to join up with Onepoto Bay based Manawakura Advisor, Shyla Taiapa, to visit schools and kura to deliver Ka Pai Kai workshops.

A Lunch Box Session delivered by Whiti Ora to Tolaga Bay Area School is what prompted the Ka Pai Kai workshop kaupapa. Since then, it has been delivered as far as Potaka School and Tikitiki School.

At Makarika school (located 14km south of Ruatoria) tamariki got creative in the kitchen and listened to kōrero (talk) about the Te Whare Tapa Wha model and how it related to kai and their growth.

Makarika School kaiako Cali Morice said “It was a great opportunity for our tamariki to put manaakitanga in action and explore new healthy kai options that were easy to make. To the point where we had round two of this kai the following day made independently by our own tamariki.”

Three kai sessions took place at Te Waha O Rerekohu Area School in Te Araroa, ranging in ages from Year 1 –8. Tamariki and rangatahi learnt about vitamins, minerals and nutritious kai, and how they support learning and development.

Rerekohu School kaiako Lisa Rudland said “We’re so lucky to have Koka Shyla, Koka Kate and Koka Tracey from Whiti Ora come along and share their knowledge about nutritional eating and how to look after our bodies and mind. We’ve got some future budding Master Chefs!”

In 2022 the Ka Pai Kai workshops will continue along the coast and will include a more whānau based approach by including whānau vs. tamariki in a Master Chef challenge initiative.

Kai Pai Day at Potaka School

Posted on by Tracey Harkess
Onepoto Based Manawakura Advisor Shyla, Kate and Tracey from Whiti Ora visited Potaka School for their Kai Pai Day.

Manawakura is a regional approach to a nation wide initiative called Healthy Active Learning, which is funded by Sport New Zealand, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. One outcome of the initiative is to support schools and kura to create healthy food and drink environments. The Manawakura kaupapa for kai is to use a contemporary and holistic approach. Kate, a Dietitian, says: ‘Our goal of raising healthy eaters isn’t just about getting tamariki to eat their carrots for todays lunch, it’s supporting tamariki to grow up with positive eating attitudes and behaviours towards kai’. And that’s what Kai Pai Day was all about: a fun and interactive day for tamariki to celebrate and explore kai.

Prior to the day the students planned what they wanted to cook, the ingredients they would need, and rallied together to make it all happen.  Tamariki chose to make homemade burgers, kebab sticks, and smoothies. It’s fair to say there was cheerful chaos in the kitchen with 45 tamariki cutting, mixing, and grating kai but it was so cool to see them getting stuck into it. Tamariki tucked into the kai and had a sense of achievement having made what they were eating. A student said: “Look Koka, we made this!” holding up their burger.

Overall the day was a huge success, and the teachers were grateful tamariki were given the opportunity to have a hands on kai experience, especially given how isolated the up in Potaka, however having staff members like Shyla-Drew Taiapa, living and working in Wharekāhika helps ensure all of our schools are able to access Kates skills.

The staff at Whiti Ora are getting their way around kura on the coast, and hope to visit them all by the end of the year. Whiti Ora said we’re here to support our schools and kura on the coast and throughout Te Tairāwhiti in any way we can, especially when it comes to the health and wellbeing of tamariki.