<\/p>\n
\nDarius Martin-Baker stumbled on the idea while trying to cure a stomach issue.
\nPhoto: Supplied\n<\/p>\n
Inspired by m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori and rongo\u0101, a young entrepreneur is turning k\u016bmara waste into wellness through a groundbreaking new research project.<\/p>\n
Twenty-one-year-old Darius Martin-Baker (Ng\u0101puhi, Waim\u0101, Ng\u0101wh\u0101) is the driving force behind the kaupapa.<\/p>\n
With $70,000 from the Bioresource Processing Alliance, he has partnered with Callaghan Innovation scientists to explore the nutritional potential of k\u016bmara vines – the leafy part of the plant often chucked during harvest.<\/p>\n
Martin-Baker said the idea for the kaupapa sparked while staying with his older sister – a longtime practitioner of rongo\u0101 M\u0101ori – when he began digging deeper into traditional plant knowledge in search of a cure for a stomach issue.<\/p>\n
“I was reading through rongo\u0101 books, but I was getting quite h\u014dh\u0101, because I was like ‘no koromiko’,” he said. “You have a little bit, it stops you from having the runs, but you have too much, it causes it.<\/p>\n
“I was, like, definitely can’t be using that, because if John down the road decides to have three scoops instead of one, I don’t want to be blamed for exacerbating any problems.”<\/p>\n
Then he looked up and saw his sister sprouting a k\u016bmara on the windowsill.<\/p>\n
“I was, like, ‘Why? You’re not growing it,’ and she was like, ‘It looks pretty, but also, it’s a rongo\u0101.'”<\/p>\n
“I was, like, ‘Is this a t\u016bpuna-aligned moment?'”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nDarius Martin-Baker began to research the medicinal use of k\u016bmara vines.
\nPhoto: Supplied\n<\/p>\n
That moment led him into deeper research, where he found a range of references to the medicinal uses of k\u016bmara in old rongo\u0101 books.<\/p>\n
“I was, like, ‘Okay, if we know as M\u0101ori and our m\u0101tauranga that there’s positive benefits to eating k\u016bmara, then what does Western science say about it?'”<\/p>\n
Martin-Baker came across a study from the University of Arkansas, which found k\u016bmara vines contained anti-carcinogenic, anti-cardiovascular disease and anti-diabetic properties.<\/p>\n
“It was definitely one of those ‘cue the angel music and an epiphany pops out’ moments.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nNearly 200,000 tonnes of k\u016bmara vines go unused each year.
\nPhoto: Supplied\n<\/p>\n
Turning k\u016bmara waste into wellness<\/p>\n
According to the Bioresource Processing Alliance, nearly 200,000 tonnes of k\u016bmara vines go unused in Aotearoa each year.<\/p>\n
Martin-Baker’s goal is to unlock their potential, and create a product that could support people living with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, while also serving as a daily health supplement.<\/p>\n
“K\u016bmara vine has been used by tangata whenua, since the plant was first grown in Aotearoa,” he said. “This will be the first research project to investigate and hopefully commercialise the health properties of the vine.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nCallagahan Innovation senior researcher Jolin Morel.
\nPhoto: Supplied\n<\/p>\n
Support behind the kaupapa<\/p>\n
One of the several scientists helping bring that vision to life is Jolin Morel, a senior researcher at Callaghan Innovation’s food processing technology team.<\/p>\n
“It’s great to have someone like [Darius], who is really trying to build on something that’s been traditionally used, but isn’t really well utilised now,” he said.<\/p>\n
According to Morel, k\u016bmara vines are rich in bioactive compounds, including polyphenols and other phenolic antioxidants, which are associated with anti-inflammatory and disease-fighting properties.<\/p>\n
“We’re looking at how can we create products where these compounds are enriched.”<\/p>\n
They are exploring ways to develop a k\u016bmara vine extract that’s high in phenolics – something Morel said, “could be a powerful addition to a protein drink or similar supplement”.<\/p>\n
“We’re looking at scalable ways to process them, to make them into shelf-stable products that still retain the good properties of the vine.”<\/p>\n
Morel said, while Callaghan leads the mahi around processing and scale-up, Plant & Food Research is investigating the plant’s bioactive compounds – known as phytochemicals – that give the vine its potential health benefits.<\/p>\n
“There are a few different parts to the project – from creating product concepts to understanding the science behind the rongo\u0101.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nMost of the vines used so far have been grown in Kaipara.
\nPhoto: Supplied \/ Darius Martin-Baker\n<\/p>\n
The importance of tikanga M\u0101ori<\/p>\n
Martin-Baker said learning under his sister’s m\u0101tauranga had grounded the kaupapa in tikanga, something he was committed to embedding throughout the entire project, starting from the way the k\u016bmara vines were harvested.<\/p>\n
“Following tikanga in picking practice is really important, so ensuring that there’s alignment with Maramataka, but also just ensuring karakia,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Unfortunately, sometimes the harvest of the rau might not line up with the phase of the moon, so most of the time, it’s just about giving karakia to all the different \u0101tua that are in that area.”<\/p>\n
All the k\u016bmara vines gathered so far have been sourced from Kaipara – one of the country’s main k\u016bmara-growing rohe.<\/p>\n
“Acknowledging the hap\u016b and iwi there and doing karakia in those moments” would remain central to the kaupapa, especially when the product enters the formulation and production stage, Martin-Baker said.<\/p>\n
“Before we get into the actual production of it, doing karakia and following tikanga in that regard is going to be the point of utmost importance.”<\/p>\n
He also hoped that any future website or packaging would honour the whakapapa of the k\u016bmara vine and its wider m\u0101tauranga lineage.<\/p>\n
“I’ll ensure that there’s acknowledgments to ng\u0101 t\u016bpuna o ng\u0101 \u0101tua to ensure that those that have come before all of us, that have helped us build up this intergenerational knowledge, are acknowledged for that development and that gift to the rest of us.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nDarius Martin-Baker has drawn from his M\u0101ori and P\u0101keh\u0101 roots.
\nPhoto: Supplied \/ Darius Martin-Baker\n<\/p>\n
Honouring t\u016bpuna<\/p>\n
Martin-Baker said the kaupapa felt like a reflection of his own whakapapa.<\/p>\n
“When it comes to Western sciences supporting rongo\u0101 M\u0101ori, it’s a balance. It’s not that one is better than the other, but it’s utilising them in a woven manner – like making a kete that holds this product.”<\/p>\n
“Being of M\u0101ori and P\u0101keh\u0101 descent, it’s definitely in my whakapapa to mix those two different parts of me, so it feels like this is not only a way of going about it that is tika and pono, but also, it feels like a little bit of myself.”<\/p>\n
He hoped his journey would inspire more rangatahi M\u0101ori to pursue pathways in innovation, science and rongo\u0101.<\/p>\n
“I want to see more M\u0101ori in this space – reclaiming m\u0101tauranga, creating solutions and doing it in a way that stays true to who we are.”<\/p>\n