From Roots to Fruits: An Explorative Study on the Integration of Mahinga Kai and Food Forestry in Aotearoa New Zealand

Food forestry, a form of agroforestry in which different layers of fruit‐bearing and edible plant species are combined to mimic the interactions of a natural forest, has the potential to complement Indigenous food systems. Although widely studied and applied in tropical biomes, how food forestry might be integrated into Indigenous knowledge systems in temperate climates remains an understudied topic. This paper extends current knowledge on the weaving of Indigenous knowledge and food forestry in a temperate biome, focusing on Aotearoa New Zealand, where we explore mātauranga Māori and food forestry as an integrated concept. Two all‐day wānanga were held with tangata whenua, drawing on kaupapa Māori principles and wānanga methodology, with data analysed using Whakaāria reflexive thematic analysis. Four interwoven themes emerged: mahinga kai as a way of life, the whakapapa of kai across generations, kaitiakitanga and living with the taiao and the weaving of food forestry within mahinga kai. Most significantly, participants reframed the research itself, showing that mahinga kai is not a practice to be fitted into food forestry, but an overarching way of life within which food forestry can sit and serve. From these themes we offer six guiding principles for integration. This study is the first to explore the integration of Indigenous knowledge systems and food forestry in Aotearoa New Zealand, and to our knowledge the wider South Pacific, and among the first in the wider temperate biome, advancing understanding of how to integrate multiple knowledge systems to create an environmentally, economically and socioculturally sustainable food system.