The world is your oyster
Stacey Jones savours the local kaimoana
with a side of social enterprise.
Kaimoana is the jewel in the crown of the Bay of Plenty’s food story. A delicious bounty that supported Iwi for centuries, as they gathered kai in the plentiful harbours of Tauranga, Ōhiwa and Makatu over the summer months, preserving for the winter months ahead.
But kaimoana has become a scarce commodity, a result of relentless overfishing. It’s perplexing – our region boasts one of New Zealand’s most extensive coastlines, yet obtaining fresh, local kaimoana is akin to locating a pearl in a sea of oysters.
So you can’t imagine how big my smile was when I heard the oyster farm in Ōhiwa, newly named Tio Ōhiwa (“tio” means oyster), had been purchased by a collective of Māori tono (bid) for shares in the oyster farms’ development, with an aim to regenerate the oysters in the harbour, along with scallops, mussels, and pipis. Not only that, they’re also planning to offer a culinary tourism experience through a social enterprise, providing work opportunities to rangatahi (young people) who may find the school system challenging, but have potential.
The masterminds behind the project are directors Wini and Simon Geddes, quintessential Kiwis known for their no-nonsense approach to getting sh*t done. In my initial meeting with Wini, I quickly grasped the essence of her character. When I asked about her role, she replied, “I mainly clean the toilets” – which, while true to an extent, belies her role as director of Tio Ōhiwa.
Initially, their plan was to focus on training rangatahi to deliver a qualification in aquaculture, and then move onto the tourism experience at a later stage.
However, they swiftly realised the tourism opportunity could not wait. As Wini aptly puts it, “The tourism part of the project was a five-year plan, but we seem to have done it in five weeks.”
The newly reopened farm, established in 1968, offers daily tours, fittingly named the “Shuck ’n’ Cruise”. These tours include the chance to wade out to the oyster crates, shuck oysters, ride a boat into the harbour to see the farms firsthand, and savour the delectable kai offered at the onsite takeaway shop. Plans to create a new waterfront restaurant are in the making, with pontoons and a helipad, plus a boardwalk to Tauwhare Pāpa. They will also be offering year-round production so you’ll never have to go a day without oysters and champagne.
Remarkably, theirs could very well be New Zealand’s busiest seafood takeaway, dishing out 2000+ oysters a day during the peak season. This is just the beginning of their ambitious plans, with the owners aiming to reach a staggering five million oysters in annual production.
So this summer, take a trip to Tio Ōhiwa to experience their plentiful kaimoana. Book a Shuck ‘n’ Cruise, bring your friends, and go the extra mile to help this place become a must-visit tourism destination. After all, it’s not every day you get to experience fresh kaimoana right from the source, created by the most get-sh*t-done Kiwis I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. They are truly making the world our rangatahis’ oyster, while putting the “plenty” back in the Bay’s seafood story. Ka pai!