Where do we want to go with this next?

No update as yet...that is what the Loomio space was created to foster :)

@Aaron McLean Would you be able to send @Philippa Jamieson the text of the final copy that went into Stone Soup please?
Also...we might be able to get it into Harvests - the Biodynamic magazine....do you have Hannah Tattons contact details?

Yes, I spoke to Philippa yesterday and I do have Hannah’s contact details.

Kia ora! Update from Organic NZ - we're going to hold off publishing it for now, as our board (Soil & Health's National Council) would like to discuss it first.

In a separate email the other day, @Ruth Zeinert (Dunedin) informed me that there is a National Food Policy Council meeting in Wellington on Tuesday 11th February 2020 and proposed that the following day, Wednesday 13th February, might be a good chance for those interested in the Aotearoa Food Resilience Charter to gather...?

I am keen to make the trip up....who else would be willing to meet in Wellington on Feb 12th to have a face-to-face korero as to the content of the charter and the next steps?

I wonder whether you gather those who are in the vicinity and then report your korero back to the digital group?

I was speaking with Yotam from Pakaraka Permaculture the other day and he was suggesting that for those who spend their lives with their hands in the dirt (the majority of people on here), that the end of the growing season would be a good time to congregate. When there is more time.

Perhaps we could organise another hui in Auckland then, which builds on work you do in Wellington in Feb?

I doubt we’re ever going to get everybody in one place. For a charter to be representative of all or most of those who are committed to food resilience and sovereignty in the country it feels like we need to strive to keep things local, but networked nationally. In order to achieve a broad support and engagement and keep it accessible. In my mind at least.

Perhaps you could arrange something in Christchurch feeding off that Wellington date and in conjunction with a gathering in Auckland Michael?

Cheers,
Aaron

For sure...and I most likely could organise something for the West Coast through relationships and I am sure @Ruth will be keen to do something in Dunedin..

Sounds like a plan..!

I wonder if we could set up a window of time for these to happen...maybe Feb/March?

Feb/march sounds good to me.

Yes, for sure. And Central Otago.

Kia ora everyone and happy New Year! Just coming back to the idea about publishing the Charter in Organic NZ magazine. Our board has discussed it and they are basically of the same mind as what I've gathered from the group discussions in this forum - to publish the latest version, with intro text to make it clear this is a live document, not finalised, and encouraging people to engage with it, join in the discussion. QUESTIONS: 1) Are people here happy with the Charter being published in Organic NZ? 2) Is the latest version of the Charter the one that was published in Stone Soup? 3) How can Organic NZ act as a channel for discussion? Ask people to sign up to this Loomio group? Publicise events happening around the motu? Ask if our readers and supporters want to get involved in organising or participating in events? (ARE there any events organised so far?)

Morena @Philippa Jamieson ,

I am happy for the charter to be published in Organic NZ...thoughts @Aaron McLean ?

As far as encouraging engagement, I guess pointing people to this Loomio is the best thing we have at the moment. There are no events/huis planned as far as I know.
I am keen to organise one in Otautahi, and @Ruth Zeinert (Dunedin) seems keen to down in Otago/Southland.
It would be ideal to get these happening around the same time if poss...so if readers are keen to participate in organising these huis then Yes Please :)

I think the potential of more people connecting and growin the network through publishing in Organic NZ sounds great. And yes, at the moment this is the space where we're attempting to congregate, so directing them here makes sense.

Regarding regional hui, I also agree this has to be the next step. Unfortunately this surviving in capitalism business has me very busy at the moment. So I'm not going to be able to drive that in Auckland.

Hi all, where can I dthe latest draft of the Charter? The Aotearoa Food Policy Network is meeting in Wellington next Tuesday and this is on our agenda. I'll bring any feedback back to this forum. As others have discussed I think we really need to nail down what we want this Charter to achieve, and how. Having gone through the experience of developing one for Dunedin, my experience is that that is the easy bit. Getting it actioned/noticed/valued is where it gets really hard.

This is the charter as published in Stone Soup last year.

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@Ruth Zeinert (Dunedin) here is the charter as published in Stone Soup last year.

Morena koutou! We're ready to publish the Charter in Organic NZ March/April, on sale from 27 February. For people to participate I've put "If you would like to participate in this process or put your name forward as a signatory, please join the Aotearoa Food Resilience Charter group on loomio.org." And if I get any direct approaches I will send them here. :-)

Thank you Philippa :)

Thanks Philippa, Aaron, Ruth, Michael et al. A bit of a rogue message here but I just wanted to say that, as a kiwi not involved with food sovereignty and resilience directly on the ground in Aotearoa (and therefore useless for most procedural matters here!), this group has been fantastic for me to follow what's going on, and reassuring to know what you are all trying to do.

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of Organic NZ some time next month, and (if you don't mind) I might share it with groups I'm involved with overseas who are in the early stages of attempting similar processes regarding food policy and a food charter?

Also, is there anywhere I can access some feedback from the Aotearoa Food Policy Network meeting in Wellington @Ruth Zeinert (Dunedin)? And finally, any advancements or info on potential hui happening over the next month or two? Apologies for the ignorance if there's an obvious answer to these, just trying to catch up :) have a lovely day all

Kia ora @David McKenzie ...please share :)
Also..if you ever want a slightly more fleshed out version, let me know :)

Feel free to feed back in any insights and comments from any groups you share this with too...it is all learning :)

Thanks Michael! Actually yes, a slightly more fleshed out version would be handy to have, too :) email?

Be great to get the conversation flowing David. So once you’ve read the extended version feel free to get into the sections in Loomio where that has all been placed in separate threads and start weighing in.

A

Yes...email is good @David McKenzie

Hey @Aaron McLean ....I am wondering if sharing the fleshed out version in here would be a good way to stimulate some discussion?
We could make it available for download as a pdf or doc?

Hi Michael,

Sure. Good idea. It is all up there but having it downloadable would enable an overview which could then enable people to come
back in and tackle the different sections.

I think as we discussed last year, we really need some face to face. Catch for me has been that I’ve just too busy to organise anything.

Cheers,
Aaron

Do we put it in here?

Hi team. The feedback from the Aotearoa Food Policy Network could be summarised as being supportive of the idea behind the development of a national charter, and of the content, but wondering how the charter will be implemented. How will it be used? That's been our biggest issue with the Dunedin charter - the writing was the easy bit! It's hard to create a value proposition for those who aren't already engaged. Wellington are considering signing up to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and becoming part of that international network, which has quite comprehensive monitoring frameworks and best practice guidelines in place. Because it's global it lacks the NZ-specific context which is so important to us. There are pros and cons for both. Do we imagine that NZ cities will also develop their own? And then the national one will be overarching? I'm thinking about buy-in here, and the importance of the local community being part of the process. It's tricky stuff we're tackling here!

Yes it is tricky...
I have always held the vision that this is almost a template...that this is a comprehensive place to start and for it to be adapted to what is meaningful & sacred to each region or group that is working with it.
It should inspire!

If Wellington are looking to an overseas platform then that means we, collectively, are failing to offer something of value from within our our cultural and geographic context. That is a sad place to be.

I get that councils or governance groups will always be looking for measurables...so..what are the short to medium to long term changes that we would like this document to inspire?

Here is a link to a google doc with the ability to add comments....

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gb2A7dXkbfkY_rMxpGzXTtnFcZbY3Di1esmjo3crQT0/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks Michael, I'll take a look. And thanks Ruth for the feedback, it is indeed tricky stuff!

Hi team. The current pandemic environment creates an opportunity for us, as it seems folk are suddenly worried about our food system resilience and supply chains. Nationally, we have nothing in this space. At the Aotearoa Food Policy Network meeting back in Feb we started a discussion about the need for a comprehensive picture of our current national food system, a “state of the nation” for food, if you like. Bits of this information exist, such as the work done by HortNZ, but other information is dated and inconsistent. Such a report would endeavour to answer/discuss topics and questions such as the following (in no particular order):

• what do we grow, and how (including community and domestic)

• what do we farm, and how

• key issues face by growers and farmers

• what do we manufacture, and how

• what stays in NZ

• what do we import

• what do we export

• how is our food transported around the motu (distribution)

• how do access our food

• the role of mahinga kai

• what do we waste, and where in the food system does the wastage occur

• eating behaviours (e.g. eating out, food preferences)

• food insecurity/poverty

• diet-related health issues

• carbon footprint of the NZ food system

• NZ’s arable land (class, availability, ownership etc)

• water

• resistance to shock (immediate crisis e.g. earthquake)

• resistance to stress (slow burning crisis e.g. drought)

• climate change challenges and opportunities

A few questions for you:

1. We're confident nothing like this exists, but are we right?

2. Are you aware of anyone else thinking along these lines or underway with this work? (is it already being discussed at central govt level in response to COVID-19?)

3. Do you think a report along these lines would be useful?

4. Where might we seek funding from for such a piece of work?

All feedback appreciated!

100% An assessment of our food security would be fascinating.

Like most things food, we've got a distribution problem. We produce so much to export (which you'd like to quantify), but how do we create a system whihc distribute that locally in a moment of crisis.... and even better, how do we distribute it better here all of the time.

It's a conversation / exploration whihc calls so much of our social fabric into question, whihc a moment like this gives us an opportunity to do. Because really, if we're going to talk about food resilience and security, we need to talk about access to land, knowledge, time..

And COVID-19 is just a test case for the real crisis still coming down the line with climate breakdown.

A

Completely agree @Ruth Zeinert (Dunedin)

I would be up for a chat about this...and how we could frame the charter as an invitation for a robust analysis of our food system.

I have some thoughts around how we could engage in a conversation around at least some of this at University of Canterbury. Possibly even at a central govt level.

I am also just thinking about writing a piece about food resilience in relation to this disruption & the charter.