KAUPAPA

Hiakai. Adjective. Origin~Māori. 1. Hungry 2. Having a desire, need, craving for food.

Hiakai began in 2016 by Chef Monique Fiso as a pop up series devoted to the exploration and development of Māori and Pasifika cooking techniques and ingredients. Māori were great innovators of kai (food) and whenua (land). Developing their own style of earth cookery (hāngi) and successfully cultivating plants and vegetables brought with them from Hawaiki (ancient homeland) to the much colder environment of Aotearoa. Over several centuries, these methods have been passed down, refined and still feed the tāngata (people) of Aotearoa today.

Since its launch, Hiakai has established itself as a leading innovator in Aotearoa's food scene. In 2019, Katie Monteith joined the team as General Manager and Co-owner. Katie's leadership and creativity has been pivotal to Hiakai’s evolution. Together, Monique and Katie have won numerous accolades.

The sophisticated boundary-pushing menus created by the Hiakai team are challenging the status quo of Māori food in New Zealand, while playing a leading role in keeping Kai Māori and Polynesian food culture alive.