“As Māori we are very natural with tikanga, kaitiakitanga, rangatiratanga – and continually excited to pass down what we know to our employees, manaaki especially,” says Reni Wereta-Gargiulo (Ngati Ruanui, Nga Rauru Kitahi, Te Atiawa), Owner of Kiwi Kai Nelson.  “We’re really important to the chain of employment.  We bring with us our values, our intelligence, and our joy, as well as the wisdom of those who came before us.” 

The daughter of a pākehā mother and a Māori father, Reni says she struggled to find her place in the New Zealand education system.  “When I was in high school, there were only about five Māori students out of 600.  I was extremely intelligent, but school didn’t do it for me. I remember the careers advisor swearing at me once and I felt so deflated.  But, as soon as I got into the workforce, I thrived.  I’ve never let anything stop me.” 

Like many entrepreneurs, Reni’s path to launching her business began as a personal one.  “When my dad was dying of cancer, I would go to Dunedin every few weeks and cook for him.  And then, in the space of one year, I lost him, separated from my husband, and was made redundant from the marae.” This challenging period inspired Reni to bring her sustainable, nourishing food to others; she branded herself as Kiwi Kai and began selling marinated fish at the local Saturday market. “The community was very supportive and started giving me catering work.  From there, I registered my kitchen and we grew and grew.” 

 The first two years of the business were a whirlwind, says Reni, with a flurry of media attention and several high-profile competition and funding wins. “I couldn’t believe it when we were asked to feature in a 10-episode documentary about New Zealand Chefs for Māori TV.  With that coverage and my background in marketing, we were able to naturally create a good media presence.”  From there, Kiwi Kai launched its successful beverage line, Atutahi, and began competing in both food-based and business-based competitions.  “We entered the Farmer’s Market New Zealand Awards, got recognition for the seafood category in our first year, and took first prize the next.  In 2022, Māori Women’s Development Inc encouraged us to enter their annual awards and we won both the Business Collaboration Award and Supreme Award.”  With these significant New Zealand accolades under her belt, Reni applied for the international entrepreneurial women’s network SheEO.  “We were selected to complete the programme, which was a huge accomplishment that provided us with invaluable links to other female entrepreneurs and funders, globally.” 

As Reni looks ahead, she is determined to maintain her momentum and has continued to expand with established sister company Kai Fusion NZ, now handling the catering arm of the business.   “I never really stop; I’m expecting another big growth jump for KiwiKai and Atutahi.  I’m quite competitive, which is definitely a motivator, but I’m also inspired by others’ belief in us.  Great feedback is one of the things that propels us forward.” 

 Encouraging rangatahi to keep learning and upskilling is critical for the future of the food and beverage industry, Reni says.  “We know what it was like to be young and what we needed to help us; we can help now by supporting new employees.  The Māori talent pool in Nelson is quite slim and they can sometimes feel that they aren’t good enough for us when, in fact, it’s the opposite.  We need them to make us better.  We encourage young people to dream big, we bring our people in slowly, and we never give them a job they can’t do.   

 “In hospitality and food and beverage, there’s so much room for growth.  You can start off as a kitchen hand or a waitress and every single role is important because they’re all necessary to make the team work.  There’s also room to challenge yourself in this industry; ideas and innovation are accepted.  As employers, we have to show them the right way and then give them the tools and skills to do it.  Everyone has something great that they’re good at.”