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Tips For Living in Lock Down

Tips For Living in Lock Down

MEGAN TUNKS: Rerekē But Necessary

Rerekē is a word that comes to mind to describe the situation that we all find ourselves in.

Social distancing and isolation, not something that goes hand in hand with our collective whānau values and principles. Heoi anō, for the health of our whānau and wider communities, we understand why it must happen. It’s a collective effort to prevent and reduce the spread of the worldwide and national pandemic, COVID-19.

Toi Tangata CEO Megan Tunks at our Hui a Tau in Napier, Feb 2020.

Challenging and stressful are other words that also come to mind. The kaupapa of Food Security is now a challenging issue and many whānau have to re-adjust with the sudden loss of income.  This has meant many whānau now have to adjust the way they manage, access and prepare kai on a tight budget.

There’s sites that share information for eating healthy kai on a budget. Many have useful ideas and recipes. I’ve added a few links right at the bottom for whānau to access, yet given our current circumstances, these may not meet the economic and social realities some whānau face.

In saying this, a dietetic student from The University of Auckland University is currently on placement with us at Toi Tangata. We’re working with a small advisory to look at kai tips for the pantry, which we hope will be available over the next few weeks.

Given the nationwide lock-down, our Toi Tangata whānau will soon share some tips and information over the next few weeks from their very own kainga or homes, which we hope will be helpful. Feel free to share to your wider networks.

I’m sharing a few of my own tips when it comes to exercise, Darrio will share kori tinana ideas for all ages, Renei will share a mixture of tips from her busy household, while we’ll finally get a sneak peak at Matire’s beloved kai tips, I hear she’s a hit among whānau in North Kaipara!  

During this period, we’ve noted a number of positive outcomes. These include;

1) The closure of fast food outlets has meant whānau are cooking more.  There’s more rangatahi giving cooking a go and it’s a great time for whānau to get quality time in the kitchen or kīhini.

2) And what about the number of whānau out walking or biking in our neighbourhoods? Ka tau kē!

My tips;

  • There are many free apps that track and map your distance. Great for those hikoi and cycling outings around the neighbourhood.
  • Download our Ol@-OR@ app for free and set up a competition with other whānau members in other parts of Aotearoa. 
  • Download some free pod casts to use while out on a hikoi. At the moment I’m listening to Nuku, 100 Indigenous Leaders and Taringa.
  • Update Spotify for some awesome waiata from many of our Māori musos. It’s great for some home exercise and neighbourhood hīkoi
  • On that note, create a few tiny habits. The ones I’ve picked up while on lock down are committing to a few brief exercises, including using some old hand weights that have been under the bed for years, plus drinking a bit more wai.
  • If you have a driveway, walk to your letter box to do some pakipaki to acknowledge our essential workers. 7pm every night
  • Teddies bears in the window are great for our tamariki. How about adding some poi alongside those teddies as well or setting up poi challenges?
  • Instead of the eyebrow, what about practising your best pūkana?
  • Cycling. Now is a good time to get out with tamariki mokopuna for a cycle around the neighbourhood, this means less cars while still applying the two metre distance rule
  • Lawn mowing and weeding the garden or the maara is awesome
  • Lastly, hā ki roto hā ki waho
Teddy bear spotting on my regular hīkoi, who said it’s only for the kids?

Nāku iti nei nā

Megan Tunks, Kaiwhakahaere Matua, Toi Tangata.

Links for pantry ideas

  1. Eat Well
  2. Healthy Food
  3. Love Food Hate Waste
  4. Healthy Kids Recipes
  5. Vegetable Recipes
  6. Nutrition Activity
  7. Heart Foundation Kids Kitchen
  8. Countdown Food Tip Tricks