Kia ora koutou

Kai’s Big Food Discovery: Annual School Licence

The way we understand food education continues to grow, and so does the way we talk with tamariki about kai.

I’m Kendall North, NZ Registered Dietitian, former Health, Food and Nutrition, and Food Technology teacher, and parent. I created Kai’s Big Food Discovery after reflecting on what I had seen across classrooms, clinical practice and family life.

I wanted to offer educators a thoughtful and practical way to explore kai that reflects current understanding of nutrition, child development, wellbeing and our relationships with food.

Kai takes a food-neutral, evidence-informed and holistic approach. Rather than focusing only on nutrients, rules or “healthy versus unhealthy”, it invites tamariki to explore how kai connects with bodies, feelings, relationships, culture, identity, pleasure and everyday life.

Through meaningful kai and food exploration, tamariki can also develop practical life skills. They learn to notice, question, communicate, participate, prepare, plan, solve problems, make connections and think critically. These capabilities reach beyond food and support learning and everyday life.

The Teacher Guide draws on Te Whare Tapa Whā as one lens for noticing the interconnected roles kai can have across wellbeing. The model is not explicitly named or taught within the story itself. Instead, its holistic principles are reflected through Kai’s experiences of food, bodies, feelings, relationships, culture, identity and connection with whenua.

As the New Zealand Curriculum is updated and implemented, the Teacher Guide will be reviewed and adapted to reflect relevant changes. The wider principles will remain important, even as curriculum wording and expectations evolve.

This resource is not intended to provide every answer or prescribe one correct way to teach food. It offers a foundation that educators can reflect on, question and adapt for their ākonga, kura and community.

Your annual school licence includes the digital edition of Kai’s Big Food Discovery and the comprehensive printable Teacher Guide, giving educators both the story and practical guidance for exploring its ideas in the classroom.

The resource will continue to grow as I keep reflecting and listening to educators, whānau and emerging evidence. Updates, refinements and new supporting resources will be added during the licence period and provided to licence holders at no extra cost.

Want to know more or talk through whether it is right for your kura?

Contact me directly at dietitian@kendallnorth.co.nz.

Ngā mihi nui, Kendall.