Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi!

With your food basket and my food basket, together the people will thrive!

With plenty of delicious kai to share, LPC’s first Matariki celebration proved to be an amazing experience.

It takes a lot to cook a hāngi for a team of over 600, but a dedicated group did not shy away from the challenge.

Working with our friends at Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke, LPC cooked and delivered hāngi across all three of our sites in Lyttelton, Woolston and Rolleston.

Māori Development Advisor Tahu Stirling who led the project says it was a great learning experience to organize something of this magnitude.

“There are so many elements to prepare for in a hāngi, and it was great to work with people across the business to make this happen.”

LPC is continuing its journey of incorporating tikangi and Māori culture into the business, with a strong focus on whanaungatanga.

“Sharing kai with friends, family and workmates is at the core of whanaungatanga, one of LPC’s values.

“It’s good to see LPC embrace Matariki as a way to strengthen the connection of our LPC family.”

The hāngi was cooked at Rāpaki Marae and included pork, chicken, kumara, potato, pumpkin and stuffing.

“For some people, this was their first hāngi experience, so I am very proud to be sharing an amazing Māori tradition with them.”

With the first hangi done, LPC is looking forward to making this an annual event and a time to reflect on the past and plan new goals for the future.