Since she was a girl, Naomi Toilalo has had two great loves – her kai and her reo. Now the former Ma¯ori TV presenter and The Great Kiwi Bake Off contestant is helping others bring the two together with her debut cookbook Wha¯nauKai, a collection of baking recipes presented in both English and Ma¯ori.
Growing up in South Otago, Naomi – who is of Nga¯ti Porou descent – very quickly learned the value of baking from her mum Isobel.
“She was very creative and such a great cook. I grew up in a farming community where everyone bakes – a lot of it is because in that farming culture, the work is very physical and after you’ve dragged out 500 sheep during the day,
