Kate Hall: The New Zealand made food challenge

Kate ‘Ethically Kate’ Hall is undertaking another challenge. 

July marks the halfway point of her local food challenge, where for the entirety of 2024 she’s only buying food that’s made in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

She joined Jack Tame to chat about the biggest surprises and challenges so far, and give an insight into why she decided on this undertaking. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from news talks at be Now.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Sustainability commentator Kate Hall aka Ethically Kate is with us
this morning, Yoda.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Good morning Dack.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
We are now officially in the second half of twenty
twenty four, which means we are officially more than halfway
through your New Zealand Made Food challenge. Just for people
who don't understand what you're trying to do this year,
give us the basics. What are you trying to achieve?

Speaker 3 (00:37):
So since the first of January, I have purchased only
New Zealand made food, So when I'm shopping to make groceries,
it has to be made in New Zealand, preferably grown
that's made in New Zealand, meaning you know, sometimes you
can't get everything grown New Zealand. You used to say,

(00:57):
like I'm usually or something may have some important orso
local ingredients, right, but made in New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Okay, So okay, first of all, why why yes?

Speaker 3 (01:09):
So that I can challenge myself to understand what we
make here in New Zealand, so I can really really
you know, know what different crops we have or don't have,
so I can support and discover small New Zealand maids businesses.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Yeah, and just.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yeah, change out my diet a bit to just be
a lot more local.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
I mean that is actually really cool. Like I in theory,
I love the idea of being more connected to the
seasons and to the produce that is available in New
Zealand and that kind of thing. But the more I
think about it, the trickier it seems it would really
be so. So like to give me an example, would
you eat anything with refined sugar in it?

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Okay? I still do bake with sugar, right, Okay, but
you know, like again that sugar I guess isn't grown
in New Zealand. Yeah, yes, like you know, made and
processed here and says like maybe New Zealand on attack
it type of thing. So but I wouldn't, I guess.

(02:11):
I just living with low waist in general, which I've
tried to the last few years. I make a lot
of my own stuff, which that has been hard because
you know, sometimes you might find a baking ingredient that
says made in Australia, but you may find a you know,
gluten free because I'm Celiac too. Box of biscuits that
says made in New Zealand, but all the ingredients are

(02:33):
from out Yeah. Yeah. So that's been one that I've
just kind of know, use my better judgment to decide
how might challenge. But I do. I do. Really, what
I've loved is eating far more simply. So I do
eat a lot less refined processed foods. Not that I

(02:55):
was heavy on those anyways, especially being yeah Celiac and
low Waiste. But I just eat really basic foods.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Oh my gosh. What about bananas?

Speaker 3 (03:04):
No, my, that's literally you like my main my main
challenge four.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Is has no banana?

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (03:14):
Or isn't there a couple of places in Northland that
like grow bananas? Okay, there you go.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
Through summer, I had a lot of bananas for me,
Like I was eating at least a banana a day.
That's especially as Celia. It's like a really.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
Simple you know, try having a seven your old boy
in the house, honestly, yeah, he eats four a day sometimes,
oh my gosh.

Speaker 3 (03:35):
And it's really hard to replace, you know, you can't.
It's not really just a quick swapout for a banana
like this unique so rice, yep, I.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Really miss right Oh my goodness.

Speaker 3 (03:46):
But what rice with quinola, which we grow in New Zealand.
But it's not the same, Like he's the same.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
No, it's not the same.

Speaker 3 (03:56):
It is much better for you, so you know, that's
probably much more nutritious. However, I feel like rice you
can eat like every day and it doesn't get old,
you know.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
But quinla why I feel like, yeah, keenwa with a
with a lamb corma. Just I know you're not but
like that's not the same. Yeah, that's not that doesn't
hit the same way. Okay, So what has been good
about this challenge so far?

Speaker 3 (04:20):
So I think the house benefits, you know, like literally
eating super simple foods, just not having the option of
reaching for anything that is yeah, you know overseas. I
think also the connection that I feel with New Zealand,
like I knew again I was gonna understand all these

(04:41):
different small producers, but you know, just being far more
engaged and intrigued by what we grow here in our
soils has meant And I've ended up with like different
random types of produce from people's gardens and you know,
experimenting with different things. I saw a lady in the
coramandel when we were house sitting there, she had made

(05:02):
her own salt from just ocean water, and I, oh,
my goodness, of course, like I was researching New Zealand
made salt when I'm whilst steering at the ocean when
you know, a bucket of water, boil it down, which
I'm yet to try. So I think the creativity of
this challenge has definitely outweighed like the sacrifices of rice

(05:27):
and bananas.

Speaker 2 (05:28):
Yeah right, It's actually a really amazing thing to try
and achieve. Are you confident you're going to get through
it all, get through the rest of the year.

Speaker 3 (05:35):
Yes, I am. However, one of my kind of parts
of the challenge that I thought i'd do so I
wouldn't waste food is I've still been able to eat
what I already had in my pet. Now I'm using
out some of those things. So I definitely there's some
things that I have been using throughout, especially.

Speaker 2 (05:54):
Spices and oh my gosh, I.

Speaker 3 (05:57):
Think towards the end of the year. Yeah, I think
about this.

Speaker 2 (06:02):
At first, I was like, yeah, I get it. The
more I think about it, you just it just means
like the most delicious food. Yeahs interesting. Yeah, then you're stuffed. Yes,
oh my god.

Speaker 3 (06:17):
So then you usually find it alternatives, Like we do
grow so much in New Zealand. You know, we even
grow coffee, like we're out north. Yeah, we don't really
grow much black tea. So I've actually gone off black tea.
I don't drink caffeine now. So yeah, all these Them'm saying.
It's been an experiment and I will definitely make it
till the end of the year, but I will probably
have a little hiatus from keenware.

Speaker 2 (06:36):
And ye okay, So what's going to be the fo
what's going to be like? Is this is the equivalent
of your death road dish? You know? He asks people like,
what would you have as your kind of last meal?
What is going to be your first meal of twenty
twenty five?

Speaker 3 (06:49):
It will be rice? Maybe just plain rice. I really
must right, Like I'm actually salivating a little bit, just
like a plate of rice with some bananas on the
side and coconuts. Yeah, I used to have like coca melon,

(07:10):
So yeah, I mean maybe that's a new dish in itself.

Speaker 2 (07:13):
It's just this amazing. Yeah, I'm glad you're doing it
because I couldn't. I'll be honest, with you. I couldn't.
I couldn't do it. So I love the in theory.
I love being more connected to what we're producing and practice.
I think I still want to be able to wrap
up a lamb coma with you know, some nice starchy
bes Marty Race.

Speaker 3 (07:33):
Well we can have a balance, right, That's why I'm
doing it. Then I can. I can find out all
these different great places, so then other people can just
incorporate them and said, not be so extreme.

Speaker 1 (07:43):
Good for you?

Speaker 2 (07:44):
All right, Well, what we'll do is maybe for our
last show of the year in December, we will we
will come back to you then and see if you're
equivalent of a death throw dish your first meal for
twenty twenty five is going to be any difference? If
maybe you've got some summer cravings. Maybe keep up the
great work. Nice to chat, Thanks sex. That is Kate Hale.
You can find her on the social media play forms

(08:06):
by searching ethically Kate. If you want to get in touch,
ninety two ninety two is our text number. You can
email me as well. Jacket NEWSTALKSIDB dot co dot nz.

Speaker 1 (08:17):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to Newstalks EDB from nine am Saturday, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio