Indigenous Foodways in Transition: A Qualitative Study With Māori Elders in Aotearoa New Zealand

Purpose: This study explored how the Māori food landscape and foodways have changed over the last 70 years, centring the voices of Māori elders whose lived experiences provide critical insight into the nutrition transition.

Methods: Guided by a Māori worldview and Kaupapa Māori research principles, we engaged in conversations (kōrero) with Māori elders to explore their childhood experiences, memories, and understandings of food (kai). A life course analytical approach was applied to develop narratives from the conversations, illustrating the contextual influences of Māori foodways and shared patterns across generations.

Results: Twelve Māori elders (60–90 years) described diverse upbringings shaped by place, family circumstances, and access to land and food resources in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Colonisation, land loss, urbanisation, and shifting social pressures reshaped food systems and cultural norms, playing out differently depending on access to resources and social networks. While experiences differed across rural and urban contexts, resilience and resourcefulness were common characteristics, and their early experiences shaped their relationship with kai in later life. Rural upbringings instilled practical skills, food knowledge, and a sense of collective responsibility. Urban migration disrupted these learning pathways: reduced access to land and increased reliance on supermarket‐based food systems, limited opportunities for hands‐on learning, driving changes in foodways and contributing to the erosion of traditional food knowledge among younger generations.

Conclusion: Understanding how the Māori nutrition transition has occurred can help inform strengths‐based approaches that recognise kai as more than nutrients and support wellbeing for Māori in contemporary Aotearoa.