Nau Mai, Haere Mai - Everyone Welcome To Connect Over Boil-Up In Capital
Chef Josh Hunter (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) of Whakapapa of Your Kai will deliver the koha-based event alongside artist Ngaio Cowell (Ngaati te Ata te Waiohua, Waikato, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whātua), aiming to introduce the traditional boil-up to a new generation of fans.
Josh and Mitchell Tierney (Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa) founded Whakapapa of Your Kai to honour Māori cuisine and create space for others to explore te ao Māori through kai. For Josh, boil up is more than a meal – it's a vessel of cultural heritage.
'Some of my earliest memories are of a pot bubbling away at home or having it on the marae – and fighting with my cousins over who got the most doughboys. I wouldn't think much of it back then, but now I crave it.
'It's a connection to our ancestors and our community. It's wholesome and reminds us who we are,' he says.
The event is part of this year's Visa Wellington On a Plate programme. The menu will include a traditional pork stew with ham hock doughboys, followed by Black Doris plums with a charcoal-steeped custard, offering a taste similar to roasted marshmallows.
Ngaio has worked with the chefs over several years to create events that reconnect Māori with the whakapapa of their kai in an accessible, no-frills way.
'With urbanisation, many of us have lost that link to the land and our food traditions. These events aim to reclaim that connection and provide a space for whānau to eat well.
'This is why we wanted to work with Everybody Eats; their kaupapa aligned with our values and beliefs for what these events should be - about doing the mahi to ensure everyone can be at the table,' she says.
Founded in 2019, Everybody Eats has been a charity partner of Visa Wellington On a Plate for over five years. The innovative restaurant model offers three-course meals made from rescued food, featuring a pay-what-you-can model that aims to reduce food waste and address food insecurity across three restaurants in Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Food is Love is the theme of Visa Wellington On a Plate 2025, and Festival Director Beth Brash says events like this are at the heart of the country's biggest food festival.
'The connections we share over kai are some of the most important, and to have a space where everyone is welcome to the nourishment of a shared boil-up - there is no greater connector.
'Offering a meal that is so deeply tied to culture and community means we're not just feeding people; it's strengthening bonds and passing on a legacy of generosity and cultural pride,' says Josh.
The Boil Up is being delivered in partnership with Everybody Eats at Ltd on 7 August from 6 to 8 pm. This event is koha-based; guests will pay what they can to ensure everyone can be at the table. You can find out more about the Visa WOAP 2025 programme highlights and ticket information here.
About Visa Wellington a Plate
Visa Wellington On a Plate is one of the southern hemisphere's most significant and boldest food festivals. From burgers and cocktails to chef collaborations and immersive experiences, it showcases the best of the Wellington region's producers, venues, and creative talent.
Brought to you by the not-for-profit Wellington Culinary Events Trust, VWOAP is a festival dedicated to supporting and celebrating the capital's hospitality industry. Find out more here
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
14 hours ago
- Scoop
Celebrating The Kiwis Shaping A Better World
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University's Distinguished Alumni Award winners for 2025 showcase how their study at the creative, scientific, and political centre of New Zealand continues to help them shape a better world. Every two years, Te Herenga Waka awards the brightest and boldest innovators, visionaries, and community connectors from within its 140,000 alumni with Distinguished Alumni Awards. For 2025, five exceptional alumni have been named as winners: Dai Henwood ONZM —comedian, author, and beloved entertainer. Tanea Heke MNZM —actor and Director of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, nurturing the next generation of performing arts talent. Dr Ratu Mataira —physicist and CEO of OpenStar Technologies, leading groundbreaking scientific discoveries. Dr Vincent O'Malley —acclaimed author and historian, illuminating forgotten parts of our shared history. Dr David Harland —respected diplomat, brokering peace between nations. The five winners are trailblazers and leaders whose diverse work—from inspiring performing arts students to fostering peace, from pioneering science to uniting us through laughter—exemplifies the University's core values of kaitiakitanga, manaatikanga, whanaungatanga, akoranga, and whai mātauranga. Chancellor Alan Judge says, 'Our distinguished alumni award winners reflect the high calibre of graduates we produce at Te Herenga Waka. They share a profound commitment to excellence and our mission to mobilise understanding and action for a better world. 'We are proud to call them alumni and are excited to celebrate their achievements next month,' he said. The Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented at an event in Wellington on Thursday 18 September. Biographies David Harland, BA 1983 Dr David Harland is a diplomat and the executive director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a Geneva-based foundation that specialises in the mediation of armed conflict. He previously worked for the United Nations, including in Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti and Timor Leste, and he wrote the UN Secretary-General's landmark report on the fall of Srebrenica. David serves on the UN Secretary-General's high-level advisory board on mediation. He has degrees from Harvard University, Tufts University, Beijing University and Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Tanea Heke, BA 1995 Tanea Heke MNZM is an actor, director and producer of theatre, and has been Tumuaki/Director of Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School since 2019. As an actor, Tanea has starred in several theatre, film and television productions over the years, including the film Cousins by Briar Grace Smith. She co-founded Hāpai Productions, a mana wahine, kaupapa Māori theatre company in 2013. She is an artist Trustee on The Arts Foundation—Te Tumu Toi and was the 2020 recipient of the Creative New Zealand Ngā Tohu Hautūtanga Auaha Toi Making a Difference Award. She was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours List 2022. Dai Henwood, BA 1999 Dai Henwood ONZM has been performing comedy for over 25 years, beginning in Wellington at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, where he studied theatre and film. Well-recognised for his appearances on 7 Days, Dai has also hosted the NZ Music Awards, Family Feud, Dancing with the Stars, and Lego Masters New Zealand. He has won numerous awards for comedy, including Best Male Comedian at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards nine times. In 2024, he published the bestselling book Life of Dai, as well as the documentary Live and Let Dai, both of which share his journey with stage four cancer. He was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours. Ratu Mataira, BSc (Hons) 2017, PhD 2022 Physicist Dr Ratu Mataira is on a mission to harness the power of the sun, right here in Te Whanganui-a-tara Wellington. Ratu completed his PhD in Applied Superconductivity at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. By the end of his PhD, he had set the bar as the most prodigious student to graduate from the Robinson Research Institute, the world leader in such technologies. The 33-year-old leads OpenStar Technologies, a Wellington-based start-up building a 'levitated dipole' fusion reactor prototype. Multi-national groups have been trying to achieve this same goal for decades, with massive teams and enormous budgets. Vincent O'Malley, PhD 2004 Dr Vincent O'Malley FRHistS FRSNZ is an award-winning Wellington writer and historian who has authored many bestselling and acclaimed works on Aotearoa New Zealand history, including The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800-2000 (2016) and The New Zealand Wars/Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa (2019). His book Voices from the New Zealand Wars/He Reo nō ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa won the general non-fiction prize at the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. In the same year, he received the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in Non-Fiction. In 2023, he was awarded the Humanities Aronui Medal by the Royal Society Te Apārangi and was a semi-finalist for Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
Scoop
19 hours ago
- Scoop
Celebrating The Kiwis Shaping A Better World
Press Release – Victoria University of Wellington Every two years, Te Herenga Waka awards the brightest and boldest innovators, visionaries, and community connectors from within its 140,000 alumni with Distinguished Alumni Awards. Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University's Distinguished Alumni Award winners for 2025 showcase how their study at the creative, scientific, and political centre of New Zealand continues to help them shape a better world. Every two years, Te Herenga Waka awards the brightest and boldest innovators, visionaries, and community connectors from within its 140,000 alumni with Distinguished Alumni Awards. For 2025, five exceptional alumni have been named as winners: Dai Henwood ONZM —comedian, author, and beloved entertainer. Tanea Heke MNZM —actor and Director of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, nurturing the next generation of performing arts talent. Dr Ratu Mataira —physicist and CEO of OpenStar Technologies, leading groundbreaking scientific discoveries. Dr Vincent O'Malley —acclaimed author and historian, illuminating forgotten parts of our shared history. Dr David Harland —respected diplomat, brokering peace between nations. The five winners are trailblazers and leaders whose diverse work—from inspiring performing arts students to fostering peace, from pioneering science to uniting us through laughter—exemplifies the University's core values of kaitiakitanga, manaatikanga, whanaungatanga, akoranga, and whai mātauranga. Chancellor Alan Judge says, 'Our distinguished alumni award winners reflect the high calibre of graduates we produce at Te Herenga Waka. They share a profound commitment to excellence and our mission to mobilise understanding and action for a better world. 'We are proud to call them alumni and are excited to celebrate their achievements next month,' he said. The Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented at an event in Wellington on Thursday 18 September. Biographies David Harland, BA 1983 Dr David Harland is a diplomat and the executive director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a Geneva-based foundation that specialises in the mediation of armed conflict. He previously worked for the United Nations, including in Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti and Timor Leste, and he wrote the UN Secretary-General's landmark report on the fall of Srebrenica. David serves on the UN Secretary-General's high-level advisory board on mediation. He has degrees from Harvard University, Tufts University, Beijing University and Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Tanea Heke, BA 1995 Tanea Heke MNZM is an actor, director and producer of theatre, and has been Tumuaki/Director of Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School since 2019. As an actor, Tanea has starred in several theatre, film and television productions over the years, including the film Cousins by Briar Grace Smith. She co-founded Hāpai Productions, a mana wahine, kaupapa Māori theatre company in 2013. She is an artist Trustee on The Arts Foundation—Te Tumu Toi and was the 2020 recipient of the Creative New Zealand Ngā Tohu Hautūtanga Auaha Toi Making a Difference Award. She was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours List 2022. Dai Henwood, BA 1999 Dai Henwood ONZM has been performing comedy for over 25 years, beginning in Wellington at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, where he studied theatre and film. Well-recognised for his appearances on 7 Days, Dai has also hosted the NZ Music Awards, Family Feud, Dancing with the Stars, and Lego Masters New Zealand. He has won numerous awards for comedy, including Best Male Comedian at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards nine times. In 2024, he published the bestselling book Life of Dai, as well as the documentary Live and Let Dai, both of which share his journey with stage four cancer. He was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours. Ratu Mataira, BSc (Hons) 2017, PhD 2022 Physicist Dr Ratu Mataira is on a mission to harness the power of the sun, right here in Te Whanganui-a-tara Wellington. Ratu completed his PhD in Applied Superconductivity at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. By the end of his PhD, he had set the bar as the most prodigious student to graduate from the Robinson Research Institute, the world leader in such technologies. The 33-year-old leads OpenStar Technologies, a Wellington-based start-up building a 'levitated dipole' fusion reactor prototype. Multi-national groups have been trying to achieve this same goal for decades, with massive teams and enormous budgets. Vincent O'Malley, PhD 2004 Dr Vincent O'Malley FRHistS FRSNZ is an award-winning Wellington writer and historian who has authored many bestselling and acclaimed works on Aotearoa New Zealand history, including The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800-2000 (2016) and The New Zealand Wars/Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa (2019). His book Voices from the New Zealand Wars/He Reo nō ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa won the general non-fiction prize at the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. In the same year, he received the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in Non-Fiction. In 2023, he was awarded the Humanities Aronui Medal by the Royal Society Te Apārangi and was a semi-finalist for Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
Scoop
20 hours ago
- Scoop
Nau Mai, Haere Mai - Everyone Welcome To Connect Over Boil-Up In Capital
A hearty winter boil-up will take centre stage in Wellington this week, as rising young Māori chefs and artists join forces with charity Everybody Eats to dish up nourishing kai and cultural connection at a one-night-only pop-up at LTD. Chef Josh Hunter (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) of Whakapapa of Your Kai will deliver the koha-based event alongside artist Ngaio Cowell (Ngaati te Ata te Waiohua, Waikato, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whātua), aiming to introduce the traditional boil-up to a new generation of fans. Josh and Mitchell Tierney (Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa) founded Whakapapa of Your Kai to honour Māori cuisine and create space for others to explore te ao Māori through kai. For Josh, boil up is more than a meal – it's a vessel of cultural heritage. 'Some of my earliest memories are of a pot bubbling away at home or having it on the marae – and fighting with my cousins over who got the most doughboys. I wouldn't think much of it back then, but now I crave it. 'It's a connection to our ancestors and our community. It's wholesome and reminds us who we are,' he says. The event is part of this year's Visa Wellington On a Plate programme. The menu will include a traditional pork stew with ham hock doughboys, followed by Black Doris plums with a charcoal-steeped custard, offering a taste similar to roasted marshmallows. Ngaio has worked with the chefs over several years to create events that reconnect Māori with the whakapapa of their kai in an accessible, no-frills way. 'With urbanisation, many of us have lost that link to the land and our food traditions. These events aim to reclaim that connection and provide a space for whānau to eat well. 'This is why we wanted to work with Everybody Eats; their kaupapa aligned with our values and beliefs for what these events should be - about doing the mahi to ensure everyone can be at the table,' she says. Founded in 2019, Everybody Eats has been a charity partner of Visa Wellington On a Plate for over five years. The innovative restaurant model offers three-course meals made from rescued food, featuring a pay-what-you-can model that aims to reduce food waste and address food insecurity across three restaurants in Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Food is Love is the theme of Visa Wellington On a Plate 2025, and Festival Director Beth Brash says events like this are at the heart of the country's biggest food festival. 'The connections we share over kai are some of the most important, and to have a space where everyone is welcome to the nourishment of a shared boil-up - there is no greater connector. 'Offering a meal that is so deeply tied to culture and community means we're not just feeding people; it's strengthening bonds and passing on a legacy of generosity and cultural pride,' says Josh. The Boil Up is being delivered in partnership with Everybody Eats at Ltd on 7 August from 6 to 8 pm. This event is koha-based; guests will pay what they can to ensure everyone can be at the table. You can find out more about the Visa WOAP 2025 programme highlights and ticket information here. About Visa Wellington a Plate Visa Wellington On a Plate is one of the southern hemisphere's most significant and boldest food festivals. From burgers and cocktails to chef collaborations and immersive experiences, it showcases the best of the Wellington region's producers, venues, and creative talent. Brought to you by the not-for-profit Wellington Culinary Events Trust, VWOAP is a festival dedicated to supporting and celebrating the capital's hospitality industry. Find out more here
