Northland marae look to commercialise food production along cycle trail

Minister for Food Safety Ayesha Verrall (right) holding the kete with New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Bryan Wilson. Photo / Supplied

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has launched an initiative in Northland aimed at enabling marae to sell food commercially to tourists travelling along the Pou Herenga Tai Twin Coast Cycle Trail.

"There are about 100,000 cyclists in Northland each year. That's quite a big market to be able to start charging for lunches or dinners along the cycle trail, plus accommodation if marae want to do that. That's the current size of the opportunity," said Minister for Food Safety Dr Ayesha Verrall.

An estimated 100,000 cyclists visit Northland each year. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Te Kete Haumaru Kai pilot was launched at Te Rito Marae in Moerewa. The kete is an interactive bilingual toolkit containing food safety requirements, guidance, flip charts, posters, stickers, magnets, a thermometer and videos. It is aimed at helping marae meet the requirements needed in order to be able to sell food commercially. The kete was developed in partnership between local Ngāpuhi hapū, Pou Herenga Tai Twin Coast Cycle Trail Trust, Far North District Council, New Zealand Food Safety, and Northland Inc.

"This is a genuine partnership - a culmination of two years of mahi for hapū who want to maximise the opportunities brought by tourists riding the Pou Herenga Tai cycle trail in Northland," Verrall said.

The initiative began in 2018, when the Pou Herenga Tai Twin Coast Cycle Trail Trust reached out to New Zealand Food Safety, to support hapū development and assist marae in a commercial space to offer kai and accommodation. The six-month initiative will be piloted in six marae near the Northland cycle trail: Te Rito, Kohewhata, Ōkorihi, Ngāwhā, Parawhenua and Te Tii.

"The future the Government wants for tourism is for more meaningful engagement with culture and a richer visitor experience ... This is a pilot. We'll look at how it works in practice and then we'll learn lessons from there and potentially it'll be shared with the rest of the country after that," said Verrall.

The potential for the initiative to be expanded throughout the country is an exciting prospect for Verrall and MPI.

"I'm excited to see how this collaboration can support the economic potential of Māori-owned and -operated businesses to thrive through employment, tourism, skills development and much more," said Verrall.