However, they appear to have been misled. A spokesperson for John Key says there is no plan to ban hangi.

Facebook has had a number of people threatening Mr Key as the rumours spread through word of mouth and then spilled over onto the online forum.

Some people have commented on his Facebook page, calling him various names and threatening him.

One posted:

“Seriously I have read that you want to ban hangis??? what on earth is this all about…someone cannot take away the way our Tipuna used to cook their kai it is a treasure to our tangata whenua just like our kai moana and our marae and our pounamu…honestly can u shed some light on this as there are alot of people in the land of Facebook that are not impressed and i too am one of them that are not.”

Tangatawhenua.com claimed this week the impending Food Bill will stop whanau from growing their own food in community gardens.

They attribute three reasons for the rumours, including:

“John Key left the Waitangi Day celebrations without sharing kai hakari with the hosts (a big no-n0 as the symbolism behind it affirms relationships and helps build trust).”
“The impending Food Bill which has dark overtones suggests that being able to grow and sell kai will become overly bureaucratic, filled with rules and regulations that serve no real purpose and harm whanau seeking to grow their own kai via community gardens which some commentators have suggested will mean hangi could be banned (especially in terms of selling hangi for fundraising events).”
“Someone has spread word that as a result of 1 (Key not appreciating hangi) and 2 (the food bill) that hangi could be banned.”

Select committee amendments to the original bill do not mention prevention of growing food at a community garden, says a spokesperson for Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia.

A spokesperson for Minister of Food Safety Kate Wilkinson says the food bill will in no way ban people from using food cooked in hangi.

“It applies to food being sold in a commercial sense,” he says. “It doesn’t apply to hangi being cooked on a marae for tangi and hui or just sharing food with neighbours.”

The only instance that a marae could be prevented from producing hangi under the bill would be when a group rents a marae.

Under the amended bill, the marae will need a food control plan.

A food control plan is basically a checklist that monitors conditions of food and food storage, from receiving the food to cooking.

The plan requires records of temperatures of foods and the times checked compared with dates.

Poultry items also must be checked at least once a week. This involves cooking or reheating to at least 75 degrees celcius.

If you cannot complete the test, the food must be discarded.

The bill has had its first reading in Parliament before going to the primary production select committee in July, 2010. It is expected to be passed into law by the end of this year.

Be Sociable, Share!

•