Toi Tangata responds to McDonalds’ te reo Māori menu
Thursday 24 May 2018
For immediate release
Toi
Tangata responds to McDonalds’ te reo Māori menu by
challenging healthy food outlets to follow the lead of Ngati
Kahungunu
Toi Tangata commends the efforts by Ngati
Kahungunu to normalise te reo Māori in everyday settings,
but highlights the need for a wider conversation to be had
amongst Iwi, Māori organisations and Māori communities
around normalising its use in outlets like
McDonalds.
As advocates for positive health,Toi
Tangata stands behind using Māori culture and language to
promote hauora and wellbeing and welcomes discussion on the
role of te reo Māori in the advocacy and achievement of
hauora.
Toi Tangata CEO, Megan Tunks, questions the
promotion of te reo Māori at unhealthy establishments such
as McDonalds.
“We recognise that having spaces
where we can practice and normalise te reo Māori is both
absolutely necessary and desired, but in the face of a
franchise and product which we know has a negative effect on
many of our people and our taiao, we need to make more
conscious decisions on the impacts on our oranga. It is our
obligation as an organisation is to ensure whānau are
informed of healthier eating options and the negative impact
of food outlets such as McDonalds.
“There is a
need to be more intentional in our messaging when the odds
are constantly stacked against tamariki, whānau and
communities. Protecting them from overexposure to junk food
marketing around unhealthy food and beverages is a societal
responsibility. We need to strike the balance between
normalising our beautiful language and ensuring it is used
in a positive and uplifting way.”
Toi Tangata
welcomes the opportunity to tautoko approaches that weave
language revitalisation with oranga Māori and invites
healthy food outlets to follow Ngati Kahungunu’s lead and
incorporate more reo Māori.
“There is a growing
need to look at more opportunities to increase healthy,
supportive kai environments which promote and grow te reo
Māori. McDonalds is a global entity, we should be looking
at how we support our Māori economy, including our local
Māori social enterprises that promote healthy kai. Let’s
look at the role of reo in hauora and at efforts that uplift
healthy kai- kai fresh from our atua with enhanced mauri.”
Successful Māori examples of healthy kai businesses
include the Kākano cafe in Otautahi and Koha Kai in
Murihiku. Both promote healthy kai, and teach whānau the
mātauranga around it.
“There are conversations to
be had on how we reclaim our own mātauranga around kai
practices, such as the promotion of maramataka and maara
kai, and how we advocate for and encourage food sovereignty
and security amongst our whānau, hapū and Iwi.”
Hastings McDonalds yesterday became the first in the
country to introduce bilingual menus, written in both
English and Māori, with plans to roll it out to all
McDonalds' restaurants in Hawke's
Bay.
ENDS