Wao Summit 2024 kicks off

Climate action conference the Wao Summit opened in Wānaka yesterday with a focus on food resilience.

The summit heard from speakers talking about sustainable farming, food sovereignty, and community resilience, who emphasised the need for strong local food systems.

"Speakers reflected on growing up with a deep understanding of where their food came from—often from their own backyards, community gardens, and local farms," a summit spokesperson says.

"This hands-on connection with food instilled a lifelong respect that they are now working to rekindle across New Zealand, illustrating the power of self-sufficient, connected communities."

The day underscored the importance of shopping locally, encouraging participants to 'vote for change' with every dollar.

"By choosing locally produced foods, New Zealanders can directly support shifts toward a more resilient and equitable food system. This conscious choice, they emphasised, can drive meaningful change, helping communities build a fairer food network where sustainability, community health, and economic prosperity are prioritised."

Speakers stressed that this shift must begin now to ensure lasting impact. They also addressed the unique challenges within New Zealand’s current food system, questioning why Kiwis often pay more for local produce than consumers of those exact products abroad. They advocated for a model that supports local farmers, reduces regulatory burdens, and prioritises sustainable, community-focused production.

Following the completion of the Wao Food Resilience Project in 2023, which revealed that 94% of food consumed in the Southern Lakes region is not locally produced, the the project identified five key challenges for the region:

• Over-reliance on importing food from outside the district
• Insufficient local produce and lack of diversity across the food system
• High land costs and urban development pressures, raising concerns about farmer succession
• Limited access for local producers to the local market due to prohibitive costs and regulatory burdens
• A modern lifestyle that makes it difficult to grow food and risks losing valuable food knowledge

The Southern Lakes Kai Collective has now been launched; a new initiative designed to fast-track solutions and capitalise on the opportunities identified through Wao’s Food Resilience Project. This collective, comprising a team of local food system advocates, has united as 'Stewards of Community Food Resilience' to address these regional challenges. The aim is to deepen connections between the community and local food systems, fostering opportunities for growth, production, and community-driven food resilience for the Southern Lakes region and beyond.

The five-day summit continues today with the Better Business Day, which features expert-led workshops, panel discussions, and networking sessions, all aimed at offering strategies to create positive environmental and social impacts through business.