Lincoln University Digital Dissertation - Lincoln University Research ...

There is also the challenge of acquiring taewa seed. While most taewa
growers that were interviewed had no reservations about sharing their seed,
this does not change the fact that there are not many of these growers around
and that many of these growers are not widely advertised which makes
sourcing seed difficult.
“Well you need the seed, people need the seed but they are not difficult to
grow.” (Grower 2)
“Last year we gave away a lot of seed for people to go and grow their own
taewa. We went to [different] runanga’s and meetings of marae people to
[encourage] them to grow their own taewa… We were giving people seed to
grow their own mara.” (Grower 2)
To give Maori that chance to renew a relationship with traditional crops and
the land, growers have acknowledged a real need for first-hand experience.
Exposing Maori to crops such as taewa so that they can actually see and
taste the crop makes the process real and seemingly much more relevant and
attainable.
“First, and mostly, is like some of the ones I have been taking home you know
after a harvest I’ll take some of them home and like my kids… they really have
acquired a taste for it [taewa] and think it is really nice, and they like the
colour, they ask a lot of questions.” (Grower 5)
“It’s the taste, they have got to get the taste, you know the looks are nice and
everything but they have got to acquire the taste for them to be interested…
giving them that opportunity to actually get some [and] to eat it is really the
hardest bit because there is hardly anything out there on the market… Giving
these guys [young Maori] the opportunity to try some, getting the taste of it
because why grow it if you don’t like it. You know the colour might be really
impressive but hey at the end of the day you can paint a potato purple or
whatever, but yeah getting that taste.” (Grower 5)
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