Te Pāti Māori MP for Hauraki-Waikato, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke has announced Te Pāti Māori’s Kai Sovereignty Policy this afternoon at Te Kāpata Kai o Kirikiriroa.
The food policy is designed to shift Aotearoa from a state of kai dependency to kai sovereignty, targeting immediate cost of living relief while making structural investments into community led food systems and regenerative agriculture.
Within the policy, Te Pāti Māori will introduce an Income Tax Kai Credit aimed at easing household expenses for individuals earning $60,000 or less annually with the credit covering up to at least 8 weeks of food costs, providing financial support to an estimated 3 million people each year.
The policy also commits to three dedicated $100 million dollar funds.
- Community Kai Fund: Te Pāti Māori will establish a $100 million dollar Community Kai Fund for home gardens, Marae māra kai and community food farms.
- Mātai Ahuwhenua: Investing an additional $100 million dollars directed into regenerative Māori agriculture to support various land based productions.
- Seed Funding: Investing $100 million dollars into Seed Funding, supporting Māori owned supermarkets and retail alternatives.
Together, these measures outline a strategy, providing immediate relief at the supermarket counter while laying the foundation for a localised Māori led food infrastructure.