Kāhu ki Rotorua: The couple who want to provide healthy kai for people on the hauora kaupapa

I te nuinga o te wa, kei muri te whare whakapakari tinana o Profiles Lake Rd te White Lama Crew.

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Whētukituki ana te whatumanawa i te hari me te koa o tētehi tokorua e mātau ana ki ngā painga katoa o te whakapakari tinana.

He hoko inu-whakakaha te mahi a Corina Mokomoko me William Royal mā White Lama tētehi kamupene e hono tahi ai ki a Profile Gyms kai te Tiriti o Ti me te rori o Lake e tu ana.

He ahakoa e hakoke kau ana te mate urutā nei kai te kaha rawa atu te kamupene nei. E ora ana. Me te ora pai nei.

Ko tētehi o ngā taumahatanga o te mahi nei me puta rāua i Rotorua ki te kimi kaupapa e ora ai tā rāua mahi.

He waimarie nō rāua i te tini o ngā whanaunga o Rotorua nei e mōhio ai ki ngā kaupapa huhua hai wāhi hoko inu mā rāua. Kua waru tau a Corina e mahita kaupapa whakapakari ana, i tupu mai ia i Pōneke engari nō Whakatōhea nō Opotiki tōna matua tāne.

He Tatimana ngā kaumātua o tōna māmā ka nui te hiahiatia kia tahuri atu ai rātou ki tētehi kaupapa kē atu. He kāmura a Willie, i whānau mai i Rotorua, he Ngai Te Arawa, he Ngāti Manawa, he Ngapuhi hoki ōna kāwai rangatira. Kua roa nei te tokorua e whakaaro pae tawhiti ana me tetehi mahi tuarua hai nama awhina i a rātou.

Ko taua moemoeā ko te whakatū kaupapa hoko kawhe. Nō te Noema kua hori ake nei, timatangia ai rāua ki te whakatakoto whakaaro mō tā rāua pākihi. Ka oti ana te wāhanga Kirihimete, ka whakaarangia tā rātou pākihi.

"Ko te whakaaro tuatahi he mahi kawhe noa iho – nā wai rā ka toko ake te whakaaro kia whakahuringia ai tā māua kaupapa kia aro ki tetehi ara kē atu e tahuri mai ai te hunga kāre e kaha inu kawhe ana", hai tā Willie.

"Nō te Raumati ka puarengia ai tā māua toa, kare e tino hia kawhe ana te hunga ora i te kaha o te rā".

I waimarie i tā rāua mōhiotanga ki te ao whakapakari ka rewa mai te whakautu, "Hai tā Corina, "Ko te mana nui pea kai ngā inu-whakakaha me ngā inu penupenu".

"Kai te āhuatanga o te rangi nē e puta mai te kōingo o te tangata me tana hia inu, tino waimarie māua i te paki o te rā me te pūmapu hoki!"

I te nuinga o te wa, kei muri te whare whakapakari tinana o Profiles Lake Rd te White Lama Crew.

Ko te utu tētehi anō painga. Ko te utu o tētehi pākete pūmua kai te takiwā o te kotahi rau tāra, he māmā noa te hoko i tētehi inu whakakaha e ono, e whitu tāra noa te utu i ia wiki, tēra pea kia rua taimā i ia wiki.

Ko te whakangungutanga noa kia rangatira māua hai tangata mōhio ki te hoko inu kawhe, ko te haere ki te wānanga mātauranga kawhe, e rua rangi te roa ki Tauranga. "He ruku matakerepō kau māua ki te wai wawara".

Hai tā Corina.

Na te rangatira mahi o Profiles i tukuna arohangia ai te ātea o Profiles ki a Corina hai ātea hoko inu, ko te pae tuarua he noho tahi me te kaunihera o Rotorua kia tika ai ngā momo raihana.

Ka whakaaengia te raihana taumata toru , e mea nei ka nui te whakaaetanga ki te hoko inu me ngā inu penupenu engari anō te kai, kare e whakaaengia.Ko te utu a tau nei ki te kaunihera noa iho te pire.

E mea nei a Willie, "Kare e whakaaengia ki te tunu kai, koina noa iho! – ko te pae tawhiti kia whare haere tā māua whare nei, ā, kia tuturungia hoki ai tētehi toa ki tētehi wāhi whai mana."

Ka nui te pirangatia ki te hoko kai ki te hunga e whakapau kaha nei ki te tiaki tinana.

"Ko te hunga e whakapakari ana e tiaki tinana ana, anei kē te painga o tēnei momo toa, kia uru mai ki te nehenehe nui hei aha noa atu ngā kai para".

E ai ki a Corina ko ngā kaupapa pēnei me te whakataetae Crossfit, kai reira te harikoa. I ētehi taima ka whakakorengia a rātou kaupapa mutunga wiki nō reira me puta atu rāua i Rotorua ki te kimi mahi.

"Koina te āhuatanga o tēnei momo mahi – kia ora ai koe, kia ora ai te mahi !" e ai ki a Corina. I kaha arahina hoki rāua e te whānau ki a tika te tuku pūtea ki ngā wāhi tika. I te pūtawenga mai o te pākihi, ae i tahuri atu ai rāua ki te Chamber of Commerce hai āta tohutohu i a rāua.

Tumeke katoa ana a Corina i te whakahuratanga ko te waka awhina kua whakaritea kētia mā te hunga pouwhakakapi, he pūtea kotahi tekau mano te wariu nā Winz, engari kare kau he paku whakaaro, he paku awhina mā te hunga ehara i te pouwhakakapi, pēnei i a rāua.

He moumou taima hoki te kōrero tahi me nga pouarahi pākihi nei – kai wawau kē ou rātou whakaaro, nā reira i takitoa kē atu a Corina.

"Kai te Māori noa māua kei te koke whakatemua ana". Ko te whakaaro matua o te tokorua nei, kia whakaaraarangia ai tētehi mahi whānau nei. Tokorua a rāua tama. He kotahi tekau mā tahi te whakapakanga, he kotahi tekau mā toru te mātāmua. Mō te whakapau kaha i te timatanga, inaianei, e hika – kai te pūrei kē rāua me o rātou hoa

E ai ki tō rāua matua tāne, pau kē te nui o te kai i a rāua me te koretake hoki ki te hoko atu. Whoi anō ka kaha tonu rāua, ka paku raru hoki nei rāua i te rorohiko kāre anō kia piki te māramatanga o te ao hou nei me ngā kame hou.

Engari anō ko te oranga kai ngā hoa. Ko tētehi o ngā hoa o Corina he mātanga ki te Instagram e kore e taea e Corina, nā tana mahi, te tiaki whānau me te whakatika i te kāinga. " Ko te kaha kai ngā tamariki engari kai te ako tonu māua ko Willie ki te ako". Me te marama hoki me he toa tuturu i whakatūngia kua moumou noa atu nā te mate urutā nei.

Kare he nama taumaha, kare kau he rehiti, ko te utu mo te whakahaere kau. He kaha hoki nō Corina ki te whakaakiaki i ngā tangata katoa kia whāia rawatia te ara o te ngākau. " Ko te mea nui ki ahau: Kāua e wehi, kāua e tukuna te mana o te wehi ki mua i tō moemoeā". " E ruku, e piki, hoake, e oma kurua te takataka – hai aha noa atu!"

Hei tā Corina.

"Tino piki a Willie i te pari tū, ka tahuri atu ai ia ki tētehi o ona hoa, me te pai hoki o tona kaha e rewa ai tō tātou waka". "Ka nui te whakamihi hoki ki a Letitia, he rangatira hoko inu kawhe ia kai te taone nei".

"Tino ora māua i tō rāua arohanui. Nā te huhua o a rāua kaupapa ka tākohangia mai ētehi ki a māua!".

Engari hoki – tō rāua na ingoa mō te toa nei, nō whea hoki ?

Ka mea mai a Willie, " E weta, he kōrero whakanoinoi – ko te kāhui Llamas mātou ko ōku hoa e itiiiti ai, nā wai rā ka tapangia ko ahau te Llama Mā!" Kia tika hoki.

A Rotorua couple is reaping the benefits of knowing what goes down well after an energetic workout in the gym.

Corina Mokomoko and William Royal dispense protein shakes and smoothies from the White Lama outside Profiles Gyms on Ti St and Lake Rd.

They have found a niche market and despite Covid bumps which led to events being cancelled, they are doing okay. But it means they often leave Rotorua at weekends chasing events in other towns and cities.

Whanau networks keep them up to date with what's happening around the rohe and beyond.

After eight years working as a trainer at Profiles, Wellington-raised Corina wanted to try something new. Her father is Whakatohea from Opotiki. Her mother has Dutch grandparents. Builder Willie, who was born and raised in Rotorua and has Te Arawa, Ngati Manawa and Ngapuhi hononga, always had a vision of a coffee cart as a side hustle.

They started developing their idea about November and after a short Christmas holiday set up business in January.

"Initially we were just going to do coffees then thought we should go down a different track just to attract people who don't drink coffee," said Willie.

"Opening in the summer, not many people want hot coffee."

After so many years in the fitness industry they just knew what the market needed.

"It's probably taken off more for the protein shakes and smoothies," said Corina.

Corina and Willie are parked behind the Lake Rd Profiles Gym on a Wednesday afternoon.

"The weather has a big part to play in what we drink. We've been really lucky it's been so hot and humid."

As well, there is the cost. For some people a whole tin of protein at a hundred and something dollars is too much. But they can afford $6 or $7 once or twice a week.

The only training for a coffee cart business was a two-day barista course Corina did in Tauranga.

"We kinda just jumped into it," said Corina.

Corina's boss offered the use of Profiles sites for them to run their business and then it was off to the Rotorua District Council to get the necessary licence or permit to operate.

They were granted a Level 3 operating licence which allows for the protein smoothies and shakes but the couple cannot handle food there.

The annual licensing fees are the only ancillary costs involved.

"We just can't make our own kai," said Willie. "The ultimate goal is to have a mobile as well as a permanent shop."

They want to provide healthy kai for people on the hauora kaupapa.

"For people on the kaupapa this would be offering healthy kai, not a cafe where you are surrounded by hot chips," said Willie.

Corina said events such as the crossfit competitions were perfect for what they offer.

Weekend cancellations meant the couple have to move out of town to chase events.

"We just have to do it," said Corina, "if we want to stay in business."

Along the way they had help from friends with direction and the money side of things.
When trying to start their business they looked to the Chamber of Commerce for advice.

Corina was astounded to find the only help was for beneficiaries, a $10,000 start-up from Winz. Nothing for non-beneficiaries.

Talking to a business mentor wasn't helpful because of generational differences.

They couldn't get on the same page so Corina decided to go without.

"At the moment just rolling with it. Just trying to get through."

Corina and Willie wanted some mahi they could do as a family.

Their son and daughter, 11 and 13, started off with a hiss and a roar. Now they prefer to be with their friends.

According to their dad they consumed more products than they sold.

Anything on line is challenging for the couple because they are not tech-savvy. A friend helps with an Instagram account but Corina runs out of time with having work, family and home to manage.

"The kids are better than we are, but it's definitely something we need to upskill in," she said.

They consider themselves pretty lucky they haven't got a permanent base because they would have to close during lockdowns or even red lights.

The don't have rent or rates, just the operating permits.

Corina encourages anyone who has the dream and the energy to just do it.

"The biggest thing for me: Don't let the fear stop you pushing forward.

"Just get out there, what's the worst that can happen?" said Corina.

"Willie took the leap and asked a friend to help us start this journey and that's been a massive part of it."

Major help came from Tesh and Marsh from Teshs Coffee.

"They have been a huge help to us in the likes of helping us secure events that they weren't able to commit to"

And their name?

"It's a name Willie and his mates called themselves moons ago, "The Llamas"."