1 As a country, we're a humble bunch. There's a whakatauki ` 'Kaore te kumara e korero mo tona ake reka,' which basically means, 'Don't blow your own trumpet.' But that doesn't mean that others can't. I'm going to explore the success of Maori exporting all around the world ` from America, all across Asia, the UK,... throughout Europe, to the Middle East. Nau mai ki Gate To The Globe. Captions by Glenna Casalme Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2018 (FUNKY MUSIC) He kai kei aku ringa ` which means use the resources that are available to you to create success. And that is a reflection of what this episode is all about ` the success of our kai, exported from the gate... to the plate,... all across Asia. Kai like our manuka honey, paua, scampi and miraka. But our first kaupapa sees me swapping a tuktuk for... the farm bike. We're following the success of Maori-owned and operated dairy factory Miraka, which is exporting to 23 countries around the globe. And it all starts here, on the dairy farm. That miraka connection and relationship's pretty awesome, huh? When we're talking about farming, we're talking about sustainability. Obviously with Miraka, it's all about nurturing our world. This is a Wairarapa Moana dairy farm ` just one of 100 pamu, or farm, within an 85K radius of the Miraka factory ` which means they can ensure their milk is fresh. And from the shed, this milk heads to the Miraka factory in Mokai. What's the relationship between Wairarapa Moana and Miraka? The Wairarapa Moana is the major shareholder and also the major milk supplier of Miraka. Wairarapa Moana Farms has about 10,000 cows, and we're producing for Miraka round about 15 million litres of milk. That's a lot of milk! And Miraka was your vision, wasn't it, back in the day? How did it come about? Well, certainly. The board, back in around 2000, had decided to do a strategic review. We're intergenerational farmers; we're not gonna sell our land. And so what sort of strategies could we help develop? And so wanted to go beyond the farm gate ` so deliver our milk direct to customers ` and so that's really where the vision started. Gives us the opportunity to tell our stories, to protect our land and our resources, and certainly that resonates with our customers, and the opportunity to connect with them. (OPTIMISTIC MUSIC) Well, off to the factory, Tim. See you guys. We'll see you there. And here we are in Mokai, about 40 minutes out of Taupo, home to Miraka. Welcome to the Miraka factory, bro. It's very 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' here, isn't it? It sure is. This thing is massive. This is the boss man. (BOTH EXCHANGE GREETINGS) How you doing? Good, thanks. Kia ora, Kingi. 'Appreciate your time this morning. OK, Tim. Kei te pai. Let's see all that milk being made` well, processed. (THOUGHTFUL MUSIC) So, what are we looking at? Yeah, so these are 250ml UHT bricks that we send up to China. Chinese milk? Absolutely. OK. 100% to China. Yeah, what kind of numbers are you talking? So we process about 300 million litres of milk a year here. 300 million?! Yeah, it's huge. I mean, we do 240 million of these packs alone. Those little boxes? Yeah, absolutely. Wow! Yeah, so it's a pretty crazy scale. And at the other end, we do powder. So we'll go and have a look at that, eh? And why is powder such a big thing in Asia? Not all of Asia has fridges, and they just don't have the liquid milk available. And how much powder are you shipping to Asia? Must be a lot. Yeah, 37,000 tons a year. And a lot of that powder goes to Vinamilk ` a huge Vietnamese dairy company. Vinamilk are a founding shareholder of Miraka. And the values of Miraka that we established within the Maori group absolutely resonated with their own values. So it was a fantastic way of really driving that strong relationship. Where does this all end up? This will go on a truck to Tauranga, and then it'll go into a container and on a ship to Vietnam. And just like that, nau mai ki Ho Chi Minh city. Used to be called Saigon; now it's home to eight million people. And home to Vinamilk ` the largest company on the Ho Chi Minh stock exchange. 18 million Vinamilk products are consumed across the globe every single day, and Miraka is one of their major suppliers. How did you find out about a Maori milk company at the bottom of the world? Well, we think that the Maori people, in specific, and New Zealand people, in general, they pose professionalism in a big company, and it's all in how to create a good company culture. And also it bring on people together to pursue one same goal. So that's what we can learn from Miraka, a Maori company. That's awesome. And milk powder, particularly with New Zealand, is a big part of your relationship. Yes. So tell me a bit about that. Well, we use high-quality milk powder from Miraka to produce various dairy products ` typically, added-value milk powder, liquid milk, sweet condensed milk, and, of course ice cream. We got the ice cream, yeah. Yeah. We believe that there's a strong bonding between Miraka, a Maori company, with the local community for sustainable growth. And also the caring of Miraka towards social and environmental matters is all worth learning for Vinamilk. So that sustainability is an important part? Yes. Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. I mean, it's pretty cool that Miraka from Mokai, in the middle of the North Island, is helping Vinamilk feed an entire continent. Up next, we're collecting paua ` but not how you'd expect. (GENTLE, UPBEAT MUSIC) So from the busy hustle of Ho Chi Minh City to, well, the exact opposite ` isolate, idyllic paradise here in Aotearoa, next to the moana. This place is a little town called Ruakaka, kei Te Tai Tokerau, in the Far North, and we're here to meet a company called Moana New Zealand. They're the largest Maori fisheries company in New Zealand, and they export all over the world, but particularly in Asia. But for this story, we're gonna focus on a bit of a Maori delicacy ` a hakari favourite ` paua. So as well as catching them out in the wild, freediving, Moana New Zealand also farm two million of them every year here at the Moana NZ blue abalone farm. It's too bad I don't like paua. Just kidding! Oh wow! Thousands of them! Yep, yep. So this tank here has probably got about 37,000 of it. 37,000 paua! Yup. So you see these guys here? Well, these tanks are what they move into next once they've learnt to eat the artificial food. And then they come in here, and these tanks here effectively act like a natural rock pool in the wild. So we see the buckets at the top fill with water, and that'll tip into the tank. That's your waves? It's acting like a wave into a rock pool. And that helps move all the food around so they will get an opportunity to eat. But you'll see with these guys, they've actually got a white foot. Wow. Whereas the ones in the wild have that black foot. Yeah. And so this is just through selective breeding that we've managed to get them to have a white foot, and it just makes it a bit easier to present in the Asian market. So it seems a bit smaller than the paua I'm used to seeing. Yup. So you're wild-caught are 125mm minimum, whereas our market size is around 75mm to 85mm. Why don't you go over a hundred? So, yeah, wild-caught stuff is probably around 8 to 12 years old. Oh, OK. We don't have time to wait that long, so we ship ours at four years, which is around the 75mm mark. All right, and where do these babies go? There's a lot that goes into Europe; there's quite a bit that goes into Asia. There's some that goes into Canada. There's a little bit that goes into America. Asia probably your biggest market, though? Probably our biggest, and growing. But before I check out where these paua end up, I've come to... Motuwairaka, otherwise known as Riversdale Beach, in the Wairarapa, and we're here because this is other side of the paua business ` ruku kai moana, or essentially, just diving for paua. Moana New Zealand look after both the collection and the harvesting of paua, as well as quota management, working with both commercial and iwi divers. All right, so who's taking me out to find some paua? Oh, I'll go. She's gonna cook the kai for us when we get back. She'll cook the paua, awesome. All right. You'll show me where to go? OK. (GRAND STRING MUSIC) How long have you been catching paua, Matt? Well, since I was a kid. But commercially, about 1978. And how many paua are you collecting every season, roughly? Around about 15 ton to 20 ton, at 3000 units to the ton. Mm. Tell me a little bit about how your relationship works with Moana New Zealand. At the start of every season, we go and source our quotas ` little bits that we do. But now, with Moana, they have the big package. And we try and get that quota out. We've never failed yet. They know where we are with what we're doing, and that's getting the money off the paua to build our marae. Every paua you catch for your quota is all about building your marae? Certainly is. So do you know where this guy ends up? Somewhere over in Asia somewhere, bro. Which brings me here to Hong Kong, where both the farmed and the wild paua end up on the plate. (PLEASANT JAZZ MUSIC) Three things to know about Hong Kong ` one, te hunga pakeke ` it has the world's longest life expectancy; te hohonutanga o te moana ` it's known for its deep, natural harbour; me nga mahi whairawa ` and is one of the major financial centres of the world. Hong Kong has a massive hotel dining culture, and this is one of the best spots ` the JW Marriott ` five stars, and right here, New Zealand paua is very sought-after on the menu. And nobody knows that better than this guy, Jayson Tang. He's the executive chef here at the Hong Kong Marriott. Kia ora, Jayson. Kia ora, Tim. How you doing? Yeah, good. Got the paua? Yeah All right. Let's check it out. How popular is the paua? This braised abalone with oyster sauce is traditional Chinese food. So this is traditionally how you eat it in China? Yeah. Yeah. Oh wow. First of all` Yeah, what are you doing? Yeah, yeah. First of all, we braise the abalone. And then to make it, the abalone, about six hours. Six hours? Yes, six hours. Make it soft. So after a mere six hours of braising, add some chicken stock and oyster sauce, and you have the most expensive dish on the menu. I can try this? Yeah. Thank you. Look how fat it is. Yeah. Oh wow! It's like eating a steak. Yeah. (LAUGHS) So thick! And then the texture, so, so best. Texture's really soft. Yeah. But there's so much flavour. Yeah. Oh, it's amazing. Thank you. Thank you, guys. But paua isn't the only seafood that's doing well here in Asia. He kai moana kei aku ringa ` which can basically be said about our next whanau... here in Picton, who run the Waikawa Fishing Company. Now, their main catch is scampi, which they export to China. This boat has been out at sea for about a month. It's 5am; they're unloading; and I'm gonna go and meet the talented Connor whanau. (UPBEAT MUSIC) Waikawa Fishing Company is Maori-owned and operated and is the success of these two brothers ` Geoff and Steve Connor. They started the company in 1984, although they've only been fishing scampi for the last five years. So you guys are the babies of the business? You're the future. Yes, we're the future. So your dads are kind of priming you guys to take over the business? What are your roles? I do all the administration work, so when the boats come in, they land, and I gotta get all their paperwork, and it's got what they caught for the trip. Yeah, nah, there's nothing like bringing a big load in. I remember the first ones I brought in, and it was the first trip I did by myself, and it was a big load. And just seeing the look on my dad and uncle's face was unreal. What's that like, working with your first cousin and your dad? I enjoy it. I love my job. And being able to do it with my family just makes it that much better. I guess that dads don't have to get up at 4am any more, do they? CHUCKLES: No, they've done that enough in their lives! That's right. There's a lot of pressure to see where we can go, but we've been trained by the best. And, I mean, I've got confidence in Amber and my cousins to work together to get it to go even further. 34 years on, and the company owns three vessels, employ 20 crew, and catch and deliver up to 3000 tons of wet fish, crayfish and scampi every year. That's our brand name, cos we're catchers. Yup. That's our name ` Connors. Awesome. So Steven's wife, Christine, came up with that. Quite a catch, you know? Yeah. It's a very catchy name. Oh wow. So they're kinda like prawns but with massive claws. And where does this scampi go to? Where do you export to? Most of the scampi goes to China. The Chinese market, it's like the New Zealand products are premium, above other countries, because of the 'clean green' image and the quality of the water. How did you get into scampi? I'd never heard of it before I came down here. Well, we just sort of saw the opportunity and the quota and that, so we moved in and had a go at it. It's just an opportunity that had come along. How important is it to be able to pass on this, what you've built, to your kids? It's very important. If me and Geoffrey had a platform like we got now, we would be unstoppable. So the platform they're gonna inherit is gonna be really good. If we can look at all the problems we have in the fishing industry and make it a little bit easier for them, then they should go a long way. Well, I think it's finally time to taste what all the fuss about. (INTRIGUING STRING MUSIC) Shanghai, the most populated city on the planet. 24 million people live here. The Chinese love our kai moana. And when it comes to scampi, this is where you wanna go. This is the Zhu Ruo restaurant here in Shanghai. There's 10 of them in the city alone, so obviously they're pretty popular. The scampi. Here they are ` the scampi from New Zealand. From New Zealand. It's very big. Yeah. Is that why you like this scampi? Because New Zealand fish is very fresh and very natural. And that's how you have it. Just` So raw? Mm-hm. You're not gonna fry it or boil it? No. Just use in sashimi. Sashimi. Oh, of course. Yeah, because it's very fresh, it's really good. So we don't need any cook. Do you think the taste is different from New Zealand, to other parts of the world? Absolutely different, eh. It's very sweet. Oh. OK. Because the New Zealand sea is very (TUTS) beautiful. Yeah` Oh, there you go. That's why. (LAUGHS) OK. But check out how they serve the scampi. It's a little different to the box that I saw in Picton. Look how big they are! How do I do this? With the wasabi. Little bit of wasabi, like that. And then a little bit of soy sauce. Little bit soy sauce. So keep it really simple, right? My first scampi. Wow. It melts! Mm. It's like butter. It's really really sweet, but sooo subtle. So, two days ago, I'd never even heard of scampi, and I think I know why. One of these guys sells for 128 yuan, which is about $25. So it kind of makes sense that it would skip New Zealand and go straight to Shanghai. But, man, that is so tasty, so fresh. Ka pai, Connor whanau. That is amazing. And besides kai moana, the Asian market are also crazy about our honey. And, get this, they're serving it in the highest bar in the world in their cocktails. More on that cool story after this. (PLEASANT GUITAR MUSIC) Meet the Morrogh whanau. No Te Tai Tokerau ratou. Hailing from Ngati Kuri and Te Rarawa, these six siblings are the faces behind Kai Ora honey ` a hugely successful manuka company exporting across Asia and Europe. How did the whanau get into beekeeping? It's not the most common form of farming. Our father saw an opportunity for self-employment for his tamariki, which is us. Mm-hm. It wasn't an easy start, but, you know, nothing that's good or sweet is ever that easy, is it? My brothers are really the muscle behind it and make all the honey, where my sister and I, uh, not so much the only brains, but it's our job to make a market for it, to be able to sell our honey and actually get a better value for our honey. Yeah. Yeah, yeah! I'm the head beekeeper and operations manager, so I've gotta make sure that everything is ticking perfectly. Yeah. So you guys are the three youngest of the whanau, the siblings? Ae. What are your roles in the beekeeping operation? Oh, just another beekeeper in the field. (CHUCKLES) Plenty of them? Plenty in the family, yeah. And how about you, Mabel? Yeah, I'm a bit of an all-rounder. Unfortunately I'm limited to my options, being (TUTS) severely allergic to bee stings. Allergic beekeeper. Yeah. (CHUCKLES) Very ironic. How about you, Sobie? I hear you're the potiki of the whanau. Yup. I'm the youngest. I'm just an apprentice apiarist. Learning? Yeah, learnin'. How you finding it? Oh, pretty cool, eh. Nothing better than working with family. And when you guys were growing up, did you think manuka was as important as it was gonna turn out to be in your lives? (LAUGHS HEARTILY) In your world? Mate, my father got me fired from my job so that I'd come across and do honey with him. There's absolutely no way that I ever thought that we were going to be beekeepers. Yeah! (LAUGHTER) I thought there used to drills in the middle of the paddock. (LAUGHTER) How amazing is it to work the whanau land ` your land ` that's going back hundreds of years? It's an honour! Humbling. Humbling. I know our ancestors, they did say that, 'One day we want our people to run our land like it's ours,' and I believe we're doing that today. So where does the Kai Ora honey end up? So it goes to places like the Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong. Pretty fancy! Yeah, yeah! Just a little (!) I don't think we'll ever be able to afford to stay there, but... (LAUGHTER) Push hard, bro. Push hard. Oh! (LAUGHS) Look at that ` straight from the hive. 'But not all of Kai Ora honey is being sold in the conventional jar.' Oh yeah. That's good. 'It's got a 'higher' calling, as we're about to find out.' (ORIENTAL MUSIC) So, from provincial New Zealand ` Awanui, to be specific ` to probably the closest thing you could call a province here in Hong Kong. We're about 45 minutes from the main island, and we're gonna meet Ben So, who imports Kai Ora honey to Hong Kong. Kia ora, Ben. Hey, Tim. How you doing? Welcome to Hong Kong. Hey, thank you so much. It's pretty awesome to be here. So you're only importing New Zealand products. Yep, that's all we do ` New Zealand products only. Why Kai Ora? What's so good about it, for you, for this market? I think, again, there's manuka honey on the market ` we've got lots to choose from ` but the thing that makes the difference is the people behind it. And when you talk to them and you meet them, you understand the passion, the lifeblood they put into this. I think it's a privilege to represent them here in Hong Kong and tell their story. That's awesome. And you feel that's able to translate here? It does need some help, and we enlist the help of chefs that we work with. Awesome. Right, we should go meet some of these chefs. Let's do that. The Ritz-Carlton is a five-star luxury hotel here in Hong Kong. It has six fine dining restaurants, including a caviar restaurant, and a two-Michelin star restaurant as well, all with executive chef Peter Find at the helm. Why do you like the Kai Ora honey, Pete? Well, first, it's the smell. It has a beautiful floral smell. And there's a hint of caramel. So very very mild, and it actually develops when you use it, when you warm it up. Wow! So it's not only when you're eating it cold ` of course that's another benefit ` but when you're using and you warm it up, actually the flavour is really coming strongly out. Oh, that's fantastic. Yeah. Classic. Exactly. Oh, I like your style, Pete. (CHUCKLES) All right, shall I do it? Yeah, absolutely. Give it a taste. So, little bit of South Island, Mt Cook salmon, and of course that Kai Ora honey. So you'll feel there's a little bit of sweet` Mmm! There's a little bit of the kick, you know, the coriander notes coming up and then this beautiful soft-texture salmon. They kind of unveil themselves as you go as well. I might have to keep trying some more. (LAUGHS) OK. That's OK! Enjoy that. Thank you so much, Peter. Yeah. This is a very good day at work, everybody, just in case you were wondering. You probably weren't. OK. And now for the cocktails. Time to head up to the Ozone bar ` the highest bar on the planet. What's this big bowl of goodness in here? This one, I make with the manuka honey and slow-cook with the milk, and I cook with a little bit vanilla syrup and rosemary. Oh wow, there's a lot going on in this cocktail. Very sophisticated. Yeah. And people like this cocktail, that come into this bar? Yeah. Yes, we sell a lot. So this is the special cocktail Very special. What's going on here? So I made the cocktail and make a tribute to Hong Kong and New Zealand. Oh, a little combination! Yes. So this is the Kai Ora cocktail. Oh, the Kai Ora cocktail! Epic! Oh, and you've got, what, the Southern Alps there? You see the mountain. Yeah. With the... The manuka. Mm. Manuka. And you've got a bit of Rotorua bubbling away here? And this is the honey with the dry ice. Oh, no way. So you can smell the manuka honey as well. And the story, together, packaged with Hong Kong ` welcome to Hong Kong. Welcome to Hong Kong ` via New Zealand. (LAUGHS) Yeah. You've outdone yourself, Lewis. Shall I try it? Yeah, you try. Please try. Cheers. To Awanui. Ohhh, that's beautiful, man! Beautiful. That is so delicious. Yeah, quite clean as well. Clean. Like a classic flavour. Thank you very much, Lewis. You've outdone yourself. It's tumeke, we say ` too much. Thank you. Hope you enjoy the cocktail and hope you enjoy your stay in Ozone. Don't worry, trust me, I will. Thank you, Lewis. Enjoy. See you later. Cheers. Thank you. Tumeke! (LAID BACK ELECTRONIC MUSIC) Here in Asia, our kai is landing on the menu and holding its own in some of the most elite restaurants and bars on the entire continent ` Miraka, Waikawa, Moana New Zealand and Kai Ora honey. And partly that's because it's exceptional, but also, I think, because Asia understands what Maori know too ` that kai is community. Copyright Able 2018 He mea tautoko na Te Mangai Paho.