Vision/Ethos

The Wholefood Kitchen is a space for exploration and growth in our relationship with cooking, as a way to connect more deeply with ourselves, with the Earth, and with Community. The Wholefood Kitchen is a commitment to cooking in the spirit of Kotahitanga.

And, there is an even bigger vision at play.

In December 2023 a call was made by Māori Kiingi (King) Tuheitia, for Te iwi Maori and Tangata Tiriti to attend a hui (meeting) at Tūrangawaewae marae, Ngāruawāhia. The kaupapa (plan, set of principles) for this hui was ‘Tākiri Tuu Te Kotahitanga, Tākiri Tuu te Mana Motuhake’: a call to Te iwi Māori for ‘unity together as we strive for self-determination.’

The korero (discussion) that took place that day activated a longheld desire to find a way to honour the Treaty of Waitangi (Toitu Te Tiriti); to play a part in realising the potential Te Tiriti offers to live in partnership and prosperity, and in alignment with core principles, particularly those of Te Ao Māori, (The Māori World). 

The Wholefood Kitchen has emerged as a commitment to this vision, and an opportunity to provide a lived, embodied experience of core principles, by engaging with cooking with consciousness and intention. In doing so, providing an example of how Te Tiriti principles can be applied for the benefit of all people.

The Wholefood Kitchen commitment is to create space/s for a lived, embodied experience of abundance through the avenue of cooking, allowing for a mutual exchange of knowledge/gifts that naturally takes place in the kitchen.

Core Values

The Wholefood Kitchen values are drawn from Te Ao Māori (The Māori World), with a commitment to seek opportunities to learn about, and provide spaces to acquire an embodied experience of these principles. Creating space/s for a lived, embodied experience of abundance through the avenue of cooking, allowing for a mutual exchange of knowledge/gifts that naturally takes place in the kitchen, and through a conscious engagement with food and cooking.

Kotahitanga: A lived, embodied experience of one-ness, wholeness, harmony, unity.

Manaakitanga: A lived, embodied experience of generosity and hospitality.

Whanaungatanga: Relationships built through shared experiences and working
together which provides a sense of community, connection and belonging.

Hauora: A holistic understanding of health and wellbeing which incorporates the physical,
mental/emotional, social and spiritual.

Wairuatanga: Looking to source and spirit for inspiration and guidance.

Our Ethos



The Wholefood Kitchen Ethos is captured in the acronym ‘Hearth.’

H stands for ‘Harmony’

As expressed in the concept of Kotahitanga, which can also be interpreted as ‘one-ness,’ or ‘wholeness.’ In this context, ‘wholeness’ refers not only to a commitment to using the best available seasonal produce and ingredients which are in their natural state; but also to the benefits of stepping into the kitchen with a sense of what is available when we engage, consciously, with food and cooking. Within ‘wholeness’ we can also hear ‘holiness,’ and though very much bound to the earth, cooking is a way to bring us in connection with the sacred, the divine.

E stands for ‘Expansion’

The benefits which come from engaging with cooking consciously, are an expansion in one’s very Being. An expansion in sensitivity, sensuality, awareness, intuition, confidence. Enhanced sovereignty and agency of our health, our wellbeing, and our relationship with food. When we enter the kitchen with this understanding, we often gain a sense of ourselves which we may not have been aware of, or capable of accessing. When we cook we transform our food into something that is nourishing, enriching. But In the process of doing so, we transform ourselves.

A stands for ‘Abundance’

Cooking provides us with an invitation to connect with a natural state of abundance which is available every time we step into the kitchen. The journey of acquiring confidence, competence in our cooking from a conscious context invites us into a direct, embodied experience of abundance. which is available each and every time we consider the bounty we receive from land and sea: and the contributions made by those who grow, harvest and prepare these foods with such care and consideration. It is training ground for us to learn to live beyond a paradigm of survival and self-concern. A can also stand for arrival. A coming home, to our body, our Being. There is a slowing down, a grounding that takes place when w spend time in the kitchen, cooking. We return to an experience of the world (and ourselves within it) which is connected with the present moment. We connect with ourselves, we tune into what is present, and what it is that we need. We can be of service. We can be grateful.

 We are at home, and at peace.

R stands for ‘Remember’

Cooking offers an opportunity to remember our connection to the Earth. To connect with the natural rhythms of life, to the fluctuations of the seasons. To remember that we are part of the biosphere, part of a larger, organic natural system which goes beyond the Earth and our natural world, out to the cosmos that surrounds us. Time spent in the Kitchen is time spent coming back into natural rhythms of the earth, and of life.



T stand for ‘Togetherness’

It is in the kitchen that we come to together to prepare and share food. It is a place where we can step out of our solitary lives, where we access connection and community. Where we can step momentarily out of our personal circumstances, access connect and a sense of the abundance which occurs naturally around us. The act of cooking allows us to ground, connect, and transform our emotional state.

 And finally,

H stands for ‘Hearth’

The hearth, or kitchen, is the heart of any home. It provides warmth, light, food and protection. It represents new life. It is where fire burns – a fire that allows for transformation of food through cooking, into energy that nourishes our body and spirit. In connecting with cooking, consciously, we continue upon the path we set out on millions of years ago, the harnessing of fire being a crucial part of our our evolution as human beings. When we return to this path, we become active participants in the process of our own evolution and consciousness.