Students prep the kumara outside. Photo / Supplied
A Rotorua school has partnered with a local food grower to make 1400L of kumara soup for those in need.
Yesterday's post-lockdown project involved more than a ton of locally-grown kumara and loads of local hands to complete the mammoth feat.
The teams started at 5.30am and worked throughout the day to get the job done.
Kaharoa School principal Warwick Moyle said they had originally gone into a partnership with Kai Rotorua to teach the children to grow kumara.
He said they grew quite a "good crop" that was harvested with the correct rituals and practices just before lockdown came in.
They had originally intended to sell the kumara at a charity event but after lockdown passed, it was not fresh enough.
Moyle said they were aware that many in the community were "struggling and hurting" with incomes lost, so they thought why not make the kumara into soup to give back to those who need it.
Kai Rotorua's Te Rangikaheke Kiripatea jumped on board and donated 900kg of their own locally-grown kumara to the cause.
With their huge supplies and many hands, they set a goal to make 1400L of soup.
Moyle got to work rallying parents and students to get involved with the making of the soup, while Kiripatea sourced what they would need to complete the task.
More than 40 students and parents put their hands up to get involved and were each given a role to ensure a seamless operation.
One of these roles included scrubbing and peeling 100kgs of kumara on Friday to ensure cooking could start before dawn.
Meanwhile, Kiripatea had great success in sourcing help from far and wide.
With help from both the local community and national providers, he was able to lock down 700 two-litre ice cream containers, a 500L cooking pot, a full kitchen to saute the onions, 15 aprons, 100kg of ice and a mobile chiller among other things.
All the soup would be given to a number of food providers in the community, including the local food bank to give to those in need.
"It's great to be working together for a common cause," Moyle said.
He said he wanted to thank the entire school community and especially Kiripatea for all the hardwork.
"He is such a wonderful man, we couldn't have done this without him."
Motekiai commutes from Te Puna to Rotorua to train.