Colonisation is a Determinant of Food (In)security: Findings from a Kaupapa Māori Study

This paper explores how the origins, ideologies and processes of colonisation have significantly disrupted and transformed Māori food systems in Aotearoa New Zealand. This paper builds on international Indigenous literature connecting colonisation, food insecurity and health outcomes, emphasising the need for policies and solutions grounded in historical context. Seventeen kai Māori experts were interviewed, sharing their perspectives on traditional food systems and the experience of food (in)security and sovereignty within their own lives, their whānau or hapū. Their narratives highlight how colonisation disrupted traditional Māori food systems and continues to perpetuate inequities between Māori and non‐Māori. Four key themes were identified from interview analysis: impacts on whenua, impacts on rangatiratanga, impacts on mātauranga and impacts on hauora. These findings align with broader national and international Indigenous literature, with examples of similar Indigenous experiences in Canada, the US and Australia. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the impacts of colonisation on Indigenous food systems and provides a foundation for understanding structural determinants of food insecurity, which could and should lead to the development of more effective and culturally relevant approaches to food insecurity inequities in Aotearoa New Zealand.