IN its heyday the Kāwhia Kai Festival drew patrons from across the rohe and gained an international reputation. FILE PHOTO
KĀWHIA’S Kai Festival will not happen next year, a casualty of Covid and rising costs. In a statement, the organising committee said it was no longer able to absorb substantial increases in the cost of traffic/crowd control, temporary toilet facilities, refuse collection and fuel, along with the pressures of attracting sponsorships and stall holders — all major contributors to the cost of organising such a large event. Entry to the kai fest has traditionally been a gold coin.
CORE OFFERINGS The kai fest’s original core offerings of traditional Māori kai (food), carving, weaving and kapa haka, offering opportunities to sample food such as dried shark and dried pipi, along with the many other preserved kai that was once a food source many years ago are no longer possible because of restrictions and requirements by health officials. “It is with regret and disappointment the current committee advises that due mainly to the uncertainty of the Covid pandemic, the Kāwhia Moana, Kāwhia Kai, Kāwhia Tangata Kai Festival will be disbanded,” the statement said.
18 YEARS The festival had been held annually since 2004 and was the largest and one of the few events held annually in the Ōtorohanga District. It attracted visitors to Kāwhia and to the district itself – well over 5000 on most occasions. There are no plans from the committee for any further Waitangi events, former committee member Kit Jeffries said. “I think they are hopeful the event won’t be lost entirely,” he said. “One of the problems they have had is people have stood back and let the same ones do it for eight years.
DONE THEIR BIT “The current committee is all eight years older and to be fair feel they have done their bit and maybe it’s time for somebody else to step up and take over. “Unfortunately they don’t seem to be around at the moment.” It leaves the Ōtorohanga district without an event that used to draw thousands of visitors. The only other district events were the Christmas parade and the recently organised Kiwitown Piston Festival. “To lose the kai fest is a big blow for the district itself,” Kit said. The cost of holding the event had increased horribly. The toilet truck used to cost $3000 to $4000 for the day. Now the quote was $10,000. Road closures and traffic management plans also had a cost, and with a koha entry the committee wasn’t taking in enough to cover costs.
WELL SUPPORTED The last kai fest was really well supported with 52 stalls, live entertainment all day and a good write-up in the Lonely Planet Guide which rated it one of the top Māori attractions in New Zealand. But increasing health restrictions put a stop to the shark’s liver, the pirau corn which took away the whole theme of traditional food. “Lot of stalls we were getting towards the end of the festivals didn’t have too much to do with the kai festival. They all added to the day, but they weren’t what you would call traditional Māori food stalls,” Kit said.
‘BEST IN THE WORLD’ His own family used to sell ‘the best mussel fritters in the world’ at the festivals. It brought the family together every year and helped pay rates on some land up the harbour. It was a fund-raising opportunity lost for local schools and marae, Kit said. In 2020 the epidemic adversely affected international visitors to Kāwhia for the iconic festival. The 2021 event was fortunate to avoid Covid lockdowns, but pandemic concerns created additional work. However, it was successful and without any health concerns. The 2022 event (the eighth year of the current committee) had to be cancelled due to the lockdown. “The many volunteers who have offered their time has not gone unnoticed and the sponsorships received over these seven years helped to run a very successful and enjoyable whanau day. “We acknowledge and thank everyone who helped to make our festival such a success over many years,” the organising committee statement said.
