Film Wha | Alex

Alex has lived in the West Auckland community for the last 20 years. Living in such a demanding urban centre means Alex is constantly walking a fine line between meeting the material and cultural needs of his whānau. The demands of working life mean there are fewer and fewer spare hours in the day – certainly not enough for Alex to grow and gather his own food.

When asked what ‘he kai kei aku ringa’ means to Alex, he discusses the presence of hākari (large structures for displaying feasts of food) used in former times as indicators of a hapu’s ability to feed their people. This set of circumstances presents both a challenge and an opportunity for Alex to think about how we might use technology, in the way of vertical, indoor or micro gardens to enable the continuation of manaakitanga.