Definition: Designed by a group of people or combination of organisations.

A broad approach or vision outlining long-term direction and priorities.

Typical features: High-level goals, guiding principles, values, community vision and engagement.

Purpose: Guide overall direction and inspire collective action. Brings multiple stakeholder views together under one strategy. Articulates underlining values.

Definition: Developed and determined by iwi or hapū or both

Typical features: Whakapapa in origin, steeped in ancestral knowledge and very long term forward thinking, such as 500-year plans and mokopuna driven.

 Asserts tino rangatiratanga and the rights of iwi / hapū to manage and care for environmental and kai systems on their own terms.

Relational accountability which prioritises whānau, hapū, and whenua wellbeing over economic profit or sector performance.

Purpose:

• Connection to broader Iwi Strategy - Kai may be part of a wider iwi development plan holistically including housing, health, education, te taiao.

• Restore kai sovereignty and intergenerational food knowledge

•  Protect and restore ecosystems connected to iwi / hapū identity (e.g. wetlands, fisheries, mahinga kai)

•  Rebuild whānau wellbeing through kai-based reconnection and revitalisation of traditional ancestral practices 

• Assert tino rangatiratanga over kai systems and decision-making spaces
  Counter colonial disruption of food systems and land access

• Reclaiming Kai Motuhake

• Influence external policy through strong, iwi-led / hapū-led positions on kai, land, and water rights

Definition: Developed by local authority

Typical features: Aligns with local government goals and national regulations (e.g. climate action, health, waste, urban planning).

• Sector mapping data-driven: Often includes demographic, economic, and environmental data to inform planning.

• Time-Bound Objectives: Includes short- and long-term goals with measurable outcomes (e.g. “reduce food waste by 20% in 5 years”).

• Public consultation and / or engagement

• Links across departments: environment, health, climate change, infrastructure, transport, and planning.

• These are often tied to annual budgets or long-term planning documents (e.g. Long-Term Plan, climate change)

Purpose:

• Support long term plans and iwi partnerships,

• Support food system resilience (especially in emergencies like pandemics or climate disruption)

• Promote sustainability through waste reduction, climate-smart agriculture, and land use planning

• Align food with urban planning (e.g. zoning for community gardens, access to markets)

• Inform policy and guide funding or partnership decisions

• Facilitate partnerships between councils, community groups, and businesses

• Respond to public concerns around food access, affordability, or nutrition

• Provide strategic oversight while maintaining a governance lens rather than an implementation role

Definition: Aotearoa NZ currently has no National Kai or food strategy that covers all the aspects of the food system.  
Typical features: Ideally:

• Building kai sovereignty while responding to food insecurity

•  High-Level Policy Framework - Broad strategy documents outlining national direction, steeped in values e.g. Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Te Mana o te Wai,

•  Ideally a whole of society shared approach. Could be funded and resourced by Central Government, Ministries or national taskforces.

•  May include and acknowledge production of food, primary industries, export and global trade of food, but needs to prioritise Indigenous knowledge systems, food security, food sovereignty and Kai Motuhake.

•  Currently we have no unified national food strategy — food issues are split across agriculture, health, education, and social development and is fragmented across Sectors.

•  Other countries have national food strategies. Some Inclusion of Climate and Nutrition Goals, reference to SDGs, climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture, and improved nutrition — but often not integrated.

•  More emphasis on Indigenous rights, Community Voices.

• Community-led or Indigenous-led food sovereignty planning.

•  Not always binding or funded. These strategies can be aspirational or advisory, with limited mechanisms for implementation

•  Who leads or instigates a national food / kai strategy in Aotearoa New Zealand will determine direction and inclusion.

• Eat New Zealand, Veterinarians for Animal Welfare, and Freedom Farms led a petition to Parliament in 2023. You can read more about this here (link). 

Purpose:

• Set national direction on food production, security, sustainability, and innovation

• Support small scale producers and the right to food

• May meet international obligations (e.g. SDGs, climate commitments, trade standards)

• Support economic growth through food exports and agri-tech

• Influence regional and local planning via overarching policy signals

• Guide funding priorities and research into food, health, and environment

•  Coordinate responses to food system risks (e.g. climate change, pandemics, supply chain disruptions)