Kai Ora, Piki Ora: Intersections of Kai, Race, Data and Identities
Tracks
Dingo Room: In-Person Only
| Tuesday, October 21, 2025 |
| 11:35 AM - 12:05 PM |
| Dingo Room (M4) |
Overview
Dr Hannah Rapata, Te Wānanga O Aotearoa
Presenter
Dr Hannah Rapata
Research Fellow
Te Wānanga O Aotearoa
Kai Ora, Piki Ora: Intersections of Kai, Race, Data and Identities
Presentation Overview
This is a presentation of work from a doctoral thesis that explores the intersections of kai, food, race, data and identity from a kaupapa Māori positionality.
Two separate areas of inquiry were developed to support the research aims and questions of this project. Firstly, a kaupapa Māori review of national health surveys was conducted to
explore issues of Māori data sovereignty and governance concerning food data collected from Māori in national health surveys. This involved developing a Māori nutrition data sovereignty and governance assessment framework and then implementing it to assess these concepts across national health surveys that collect food data from Māori.
Secondly, kaupapa Māori qualitative photo-voice focus groups were conducted with Kāi Tahu rakatahi to explore ideas and aspirations around kai, identity and wellbeing among a
specific iwi. This involved photo-voice focus groups with Kāi Tahu rakatahi, which developed insight on the values, priorities and challenges of young Indigenous peoples from the Kāi Tahu iwi, in relation to kai, identity and wellbeing.
This presentation will briefly discuss the outcomes from these areas of inquiry, but will focus mainly on presenting a theoretical model for moving through the issues of food colonialism
and trauma into healing around kai. This will be done by articulating mana motuhake kai data systems and kai wānanga as the foundations of kaupapa Māori food justice, in the past,
present, and future. Therefore, the concepts of mana motuhake kai data systems and kai wānanga will be explained and presented as theoretical and practical interventions for the
issues that result from the complex intersections between racism and food colonialism for Indigenous peoples.
Three Key Learnings:
1. Introduce concepts of the intersections between food, race, data and identity for Indigenous peoples.
2. Introduce terminology and an assessment framework for Māori nutrition data sovereignty and governance.
3. Share a conceptual health model for moving through the intersections between food, race, data and identity and reducing the impacts of food colonialism on Indigenous peoples.
Two separate areas of inquiry were developed to support the research aims and questions of this project. Firstly, a kaupapa Māori review of national health surveys was conducted to
explore issues of Māori data sovereignty and governance concerning food data collected from Māori in national health surveys. This involved developing a Māori nutrition data sovereignty and governance assessment framework and then implementing it to assess these concepts across national health surveys that collect food data from Māori.
Secondly, kaupapa Māori qualitative photo-voice focus groups were conducted with Kāi Tahu rakatahi to explore ideas and aspirations around kai, identity and wellbeing among a
specific iwi. This involved photo-voice focus groups with Kāi Tahu rakatahi, which developed insight on the values, priorities and challenges of young Indigenous peoples from the Kāi Tahu iwi, in relation to kai, identity and wellbeing.
This presentation will briefly discuss the outcomes from these areas of inquiry, but will focus mainly on presenting a theoretical model for moving through the issues of food colonialism
and trauma into healing around kai. This will be done by articulating mana motuhake kai data systems and kai wānanga as the foundations of kaupapa Māori food justice, in the past,
present, and future. Therefore, the concepts of mana motuhake kai data systems and kai wānanga will be explained and presented as theoretical and practical interventions for the
issues that result from the complex intersections between racism and food colonialism for Indigenous peoples.
Three Key Learnings:
1. Introduce concepts of the intersections between food, race, data and identity for Indigenous peoples.
2. Introduce terminology and an assessment framework for Māori nutrition data sovereignty and governance.
3. Share a conceptual health model for moving through the intersections between food, race, data and identity and reducing the impacts of food colonialism on Indigenous peoples.
Biography
Hannah (Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Rahiri Tumutumu) is an interdisciplinary kaupapa Māori health researcher and clinical dietitian. Her areas of research expertise and interest include Māori data sovereignty, food sovereignties, kaupapa Māori theory and methodology and Māori infant nutrition. She also has experience in primary care clinical dietetics, food service and community research project management.
