Style: October 01, 2021

20 Style | Feature
Eat New Zealand is a not-for-profit collective that
focuses on connecting people to the land through
food. From producers to chefs, health professionals
and foodies, it champions regional food networks and
stories. It’s become a movement for raising awareness
of our nation’s food identity.
“Our food system is entirely market-driven, so
food companies make the decisions that affect
what we see in shops and what’s shipped overseas.
We export most of our country’s food but at the
same time import a lot of what we eat – why is
that?” Angela asks. “This system doesn’t create
great access, self-determination, sustainability or
health outcomes for us.”
Indeed, vegetable prices soared in winter, the
highest rise in four years. Even when seasonally
adjusted, fruit and vegetable prices have risen to their
highest level in a decade (Stats NZ, July 2021).
In the past, Kiwis may have looked overseas for
culinary inspiration, hospitality business models and
solutions to food supply problems. But, after two years
of pandemic pressure – on jobs, the economy and
travel – and an unprecedented focus on public health,
many people are recalibrating where they shop, how
they cook and what they eat. Angela believes more
education is needed, particularly in urban areas, where
a disconnection from food’s origins can easily happen.
It’s timely then that the Eat New Zealand Food Hui on
November 1–2 is themed ‘Within’.
In an attempt to move food conversations beyond
the effects of a supermarket duopoly on consumers
and the lack of overseas tourists for the hospitality
sector, Angela wants to see a values-based framework
for our food system. She is pushing for a roadmap
that puts people and place at the centre. This leader
wants us all to take part in an approach she calls the
“people-powered citizenry of food”.
Angela knows a thing or two about adaptation. Her
own journey has taken her from political studies to
the Australian wine industry and food leadership roles
in New Zealand. She has established many a farmers’
market and food event. Angela’s a food waste
champion, the Managing Director of wine company
Tongue in Groove, and she teaches people how to
grow food by running workshops on The Food Farm,
her and husband Nick Gill’s permaculture property in
North Canterbury. In other words, she’s got skin in
the game. So when Angela talks about food system
issues and opportunities, you listen.
Post-lockdown could act as a reset for us urbanites.
Putting on a mask makes you rethink how you do
things. Issues of transparency, traceability and trust
come to the fore. How can we use the discomfort
prompted by lockdown and increasing food insecurity
to change our behaviours? Angela has a few ideas.
CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR SECURITY
“In farming, the way we see the world is never
linear. We see in constellations; a change in one
input or condition can have an effect on all other
parts of the system. Nothing stands alone, and when
things change you need to be ready to adapt,”
Angela says while we’re cursorily comparing our
lockdown situations. On their farm, Angela and Nick
grow most of their own food and have plenty of
space, so having their three kids home from school
during the levels wasn’t too bad. Although the timing
of this second national lockdown wasn’t ideal for
the food producers. “This time of year is called the
‘hungry gap’; last lockdown was the harvest season.”
And self-sufficiency has its limitations. “Everyone
needs loo paper,” she says wryly.
But what about us non-producers?
“Consider your place as food taker,” encourages
Angela. “Moving away from that, there’s a range of
behaviours that can support your own contribution
to personal food security.”
Whether that’s connecting to the natural world,
growing your own produce at home or in a
community garden, shopping with the seasons at
farmers’ markets, or investing in a nearby farm in
return for vege and fruit boxes, Angela says we need
to evolve beyond the pandemic’s pressures and the
food issues our country has faced for some years.
“My biggest message to people is this: if you’re not
seeking out food producers now, you’re going to
OPPOSITE: Angela and her family run permaculture operation, The Food Farm, in North Canterbury. They grow most of their
food and teach others how to do so via workshops. Photos: The Food Farm