Making wāina using kaupapa Māori research methodologies

The seven phases of summer guide the art of winemaking in Matiti—the first-ever Māori organic wine made in Aotearoa by a wāhine Māori collective. With Māori under-represented in the wine and beverage sector, the Matiti collective seeks to change this with their first vintage: the Pétillant naturel Riesling 2024.

The project is a collaboration between Huntress Wines winemaker Jannine Rickards, Papawhakaritorito Trust co-founder Jessica Hutchings and Jo Smith, winemaker Richelle Tyney, Timmy Smith, and kaupapa Māori researcher Mariana Te Rangi. Made from organic grapes grown in silty loam soils over Ruamahanga river gravels, Matiti is BioGro certified and the first wine in Aotearoa to be Hua Parakore certified. Hua Parakore is a Māori organic verification system run by Te Waka Kai Ora, upholding six kaupapa: mana, wairua, whakapapa, Te Ao Tūroa, māramatanga, and mauri.

"Hua Parakore is a pathway to decolonising our food futures in Aotearoa and restoring collective Indigenous foodways," says Dr Jessica Hutchings. "As a wāhine Māori collective, we worked differently with every stage - from the vine to the wine. We listened to the unique rhythms of Papatūānuku and Hineahuone."

Drawing on kaupapa Māori research, tikanga, and ancestral knowledge—including natural fermentation practices—Matiti is a living, unfiltered wine, where each bottle carries its own unique breath.