The story of Te Whakatōhea is indistinguishable from its relationship with kai. Starting with the iwi’s migration narratives from Hawaiki to Aotearoa New Zealand, through an economic flourishing that followed initial contact with European settlers, then as a matter of survival following raupatu, kai has been an integral component of Te Whakatōhea culture and tikanga. Today this relationship with kai is manifest in the industry-leading aquaculture enterprises of the iwi; however, there are also serious challenges present in terms of its people’s nutritional wellbeing, with access to fresh kai in the Ōpōtiki rohe limited for a high portion of the population.

Little is known about non-government services (hereafter “service providers”) for elderly Māori. As part of the research project Kaumātua Futures, a case study of kaumātuatanga in Ngāti Whakaue—an iwi from the Rotorua District of Aotearoa New Zealand—a service provider scoping exercise was undertaken in the summer of 2019–2020. The purpose of the exercise was to garner an understanding of the number of service providers and their services available to koeke, including kaumātua, in the Rotorua District, the home base of the iwi. What the survey showed was no lack of services but a need to further develop existing services that respond to the specific needs of koeke.

Mana and kaitiakitanga capture the relationships essential to Māori perceptions of wellbeing. These relationships reflect the interconnectedness and interdependence of humans with the people, places and things in their worlds, and the responsibilities associated with these relationships. Mana is critical for mokopuna, as is the requirement to action it, through kaitiakitanga (Marsden, 2003; Paul-Burke & Rameka, 2015). Kaitiakitanga recognises the place of humans, including mokopuna, to assume guardianship roles and responsibilities.

Giving voice to kaumātua perspectives and experiences, and those of older people in general, during the COVID-19 pandemic has been rare because older people are more often spoken about than provided with opportunities to speak for themselves. When they have been spoken about, the focus has been on their vulnerability. While such vulnerabilities are a critical concern, this focus ignored their active participation in and contributions to their communities.