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National | Hastings

Food to feed the Matatini masses

With Te Matatini upon us, we take a look at the many hands in Ngāti Kahungunu that have either donated food or volunteered their time to make sure the thousands of visitors to the region are fed.

Inside a cool store in Hastings, there are dozens of volunteers busy organising the tonnes of donated food to feed the thousands of visitors to Kahungunu.

“We've got unlimited onions, pumpkin and apples, we have 10,000 sweet corn that's been given to us, we've got 1,000 chickens given to us, we’ve got 7,000 Rush Munro ice-creams,” says Maku Huata Ropitini.

Trucks come and go throughout the day as food is packaged up including the copious amounts of seafood, milk and cream which is being delivered 50 different accommodation venues around the region.

“So the kaupapa is kai hau kai - feed the people, feed the hearts and feed the ears and feed the waha.”

On the other side of town in Napier, a production line of volunteers including Hukarere Girls College and TKKM o Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga are helping to make six months of planning come to fruition to feed the 5,000 strong that will be at the official opening ceremony tomorrow.

“So we're running two shifts one in the morning and then a night shift and then a hundred odd to come in and finish off the mahi for our manuhiri tomorrow.

McGuire has taken a fresh and healthy approach to the menu with no deep fried food options that are sugary or full of fat.

“It’s sort of a healthy style takeaway using all local produce from here in Kahungunu and further afield, it's a huge undertaking but it's a huge honour to be a part of it,” he says.

The food will help feed a record 47 performance groups, thousands of supporters and visitors for this year's competition.