Eat, play, love Kai, tākaro, aroha

My Scottish grandmother was the living, breathing, soulful embodiment of Manaakitanga.

Every scone she baked, every jar of jam she labelled, every roast she served up for Sunday lunch was embedded with her care, her nourishment, and often a few drams of whiskey too!

Being a proud Scots woman, she had no idea what Manaakitanga was – but she lived this value through and through, and my childhood memories are imbued with this sense of care for others.

Every summer, we would be shipped off on the train or the bus to my grandparents’ idyllic and abundant home in the Marlborough Sounds. I would start each day by climbing out the bedroom window to eat the juiciest tangy passion fruit straight from the vine.

Our days would be spent on the beach and in the waters, playing with crabs, sticks, and sand. Our tākaro would only be interrupted by the clanging of my grandmother’s dinner bell, which would signal the next delicious kai was ready to be received. Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper – there was no mucking around with her devotion to feeding those she loved.

Kai, Tākaro, Aroha – Manaakitanga is at the heart of every one of these fundamental joys of life. To gather and embrace, to hono and connect, to laugh and nourish ourselves, it’s the intrinsic value of Manaakitanga that weaves itself throughout it all.

In more recent times, when disasters have occurred, our national sense of Manaakitanga, which has seen Marae as a key touchstone, has jumped into action to wrap itself around those that needed Manaaki the most.

Mana-aki, in its purest form, means to take care of and uplift the Mana of others, and we as a people uphold a deep sense of pride in our ability to manaaki others.

When we eat, when we play, when we love, it’s our innate human need for connection that drives it all. If the connection were the purpose, Manaakitanga is the golden thread that binds it together.

“Poipoia te kakano, kia puawai.” Nurture the seed, and it will blossom.

This a reminder that when we learn to nurture ourselves, we find a greater ability to nurture and manaaki others. So bake that cake, play with your tamariki, and seek out those that love you (and bring you a delicious treat or two) and watch as the joys of life blossom around you.