Papatoetoe Food Hub preparing for summer

The Papatoetoe Food Hub is planning to get back in early November.

The Food Hub Collective, the community group which runs the Food Hub, has spent the past few months reviewing and adapting its current operations and strategies to be more resilient in the post-COVID world.

Papatoetoe Food Hub’s Raju Ramakrishna says it was important to pause in April when the omicron variant finally hit Aotearoa in early 2022.

“At the start of this year we, just like many small businesses, immediately noticed the side-effects of COVID in our communities. This included the lack of foot traffic and the increasing number of ‘food banks’ which are being used as a stop-gap measure for our communities.”

“We could have pushed on as normal, but instead chose to reflect and later reopen with a new strategic model to serve whānau with a stronger focus on learning programmes in the community.”

The Papatoetoe Food Hub hasn’t been completely closed during winter. It has been upgrading its own kitchen facilities and hosting community events, including Whenua to Whenua classes with local schools in South Auckland.

“We know that the demand for programmes like Whenua to Whenua is growing as there is a need for people to re-think food, to understand the whakapapa of kai and to reconnect with indigenous/cultural values,” says Raju.

“There is a need to test what a resilient local food system looks like, and how it will help communities like those in South Auckland to move from food dependency to food sovereignty.”

Healthy Families South Auckland and The Southern Initiative have been supporting the Food Hub since its inception with strategic and systems thinking and as a close partner of the kaupapa.

Healthy Families South Auckland manager Winnie Hauraki says while the community runs the social enterprise, her team is always ready to support with capability building.

“Our aim is to see shifts in the local food system for the betterment of the whole community,” she says. “It has been good to see the Food Hub Collective making the decision to build a more resilient model so that it can continue to produce and advocate for good and affordable kai in South Auckland.”

When the Papatoetoe Food Hub reopens a new face will be joining the team in the kitchen.

Priyaangaii Sagar, a Papatoetoe resident who is passionate about cooking, is joining the team to help create good kai and affordable meals.

Priya is wanting to bring some of her personal cooking knowledge to the Papatoetoe Food Hub.

“I’ve only been at the Food Hub for a few weeks but I’m loving the environment and the goal of bringing the community closer to kai,” she says. “Right now I’m prepping the kitchen and enjoying the opportunity to test different recipes which I know some of the locals are enjoying the chance to taste-test.”

Taking on the role is also a chance to show her whānau the importance of work and overcoming challenges in life.

“One of my children is disabled while the other has just started high school. I know that both do look up to their mother for inspiration so I want to show them the importance of work and how it can uplift you through any challenges that come your way.”

Papatoetoe Food Hub’s Waikare Komene says Priya has shown that she is ready to help make it easier for people to get access to good kai.

He adds that an important part of the kaupapa is hiring locals looking for an opportunity to reenter the workforce.

“It is important to empower our community and employment is one of the biggest mana-enhancing ways to do that. The opportunity to work and learn new skills is the best way to grow our kaupapa as well, as the more people we have doing the work the more chance we have of influencing others.”