Sanctity of the soil

Maanu Paul feels two responsibilities keenly and they are intertwined: to provide food for his whānau, and to do it with the utmost respect for Papatūānuku, Mother Earth. In a garden by Ōhope Beach, near Whakatāne, he grows vegetables and fruit using organic methods rooted in mātauranga (Māori knowledge), being mindful of his human role as a kaitiaki (guardian).

Maanu is a community leader and strong advocate for his people. He has chaired the New Zealand Māori Council and supported Waitangi Tribunal claims relating to indigenous flora and fauna, the land and the seabed. He has taught in schools and tertiary institutions, has tohunga status in education, and wrote the constitution for Te Waka Kai Ora, the Māori National Organics Authority. In 2019, he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to Māori. But Maanu’s thoughts are never far