Panel Conversation: Food Histories

Roberta Queiroga is a Brazilian-born New Zealand contemporary artist with a background in architecture, whose practice explores migration, memory, identity and belonging. She participated in the Toró: É Tudo Tanto exhibition at Te Taunga at Auckland Museum in 2023 and later contributed to the Brazilian chapter of Te Taunga: Recipes and Stories (2025), sharing recipes and narratives connecting food with family, cultural memory and place. In 2026, she returns to the Museum for Food Histories: A Community Conversation, bringing a Brazilian perspective shaped by more than two decades of living in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Matirini Ngari
Kare au e rauka
Nōku ei tōku purotu
Nō roto mai i te kutikuti o te rangi
E Rongo e!
Ka turuturu o te kau Ariki ki runga
Ka turuturu o te kau Ariki ki runga.
Iē ‘ekokō~
Matirini Ngari is connected by heritage to the islands of Rarotonga, Aitutaki and Rakahanga in the Cook Islands. Born and raised on the island of Rarotonga, Matirini shares with us her lived experiences and memories of growing up on an island in the world’s biggest ocean and the role food played in her upbringing. For communities in the Cook Islands, food is a bridge that connects us all at any point of our life whether at the birth of a new baby or the death of an elder, food offers a valuable connection that encapsulates culture and humanity.

Katia Kutcher is a Ukrainian New Zealander, born in Kyiv. After travelling to 55 countries with her husband, they chose New Zealand as the place they wanted to call home. Though she now lives thousands of kilometres from Ukraine, Katia remains deeply connected to her homeland, her heritage and her culture.Since the start of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Katia has become a dedicated cultural ambassador for her country. Her work began in 2022 with an exhibition about the war, staged at Auckland Museum. She went on to found Creative Ukrainians, a website and community group that promotes Ukrainian culture and helps New Zealanders learn more about Ukraine, its people, traditions and heritage. Over the past four years, she has organised numerous exhibitions, events, Ukrainian film screenings and concerts across Auckland.Katia is also a passionate home cook, and Ukrainian food is a regular part of her family's weekly menu. She takes great pride in preserving the traditions of her homeland and passing them on to her son.

Dr Ala Farah is a Sudanese-born wāhine, mother of three, and doctor who has called Aotearoa home for many years. Her work has a strong focus on lifestyle medicine, women’s health and hormones, and she is passionate about helping people understand the role food can play in their health and wellbeing.For Ala, food has always meant much more than nutrition. It is one of her strongest connections to home, family and culture. Some of her most cherished memories are of the women in her family gathering in the kitchen in Sudan, cooking together amongst conversation, laughter and the inevitable debate over whose version of a dish was best.Today, those same foods are one of the ways Ala shares Sudanese culture with her own children and keeps that sense of home alive. Contributing to Te Taunga Recipes and Stories was especially meaningful to her because it was an opportunity to share a taste of Sudan with people in Aotearoa.

Florie Takalo Dausabea, is a passionate advocate for Solomon Islands culture and language. Hailing from the diverse regions of Kwara’ae, Kwaio (Malaita Province), Marovo (Western Province), and Nuatabu (Choiseul Province), Florie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role as the Community Lead for the Solomon Islands Language Week Working Group here in Aotearoa.

A dedicated educator and mother of two sons, Florie is committed to sharing the rich cultural heritage of the Solomon Islands with the next generation. She enjoys teaching about the history, languages, traditions, dances, music, and stories of her homeland.

Alexa Johnston MNZM grew up in Auckland, the middle daughter of Malcolm Johnston, a Presbyterian minister and Paula Johnston, a primary school teacher, both of whom gave cheerful encouragement to her early interest in baking and cooking. After completing an M.A. in Art History in 1978 Alexa spent 19 years as a curator at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki. In 2002 she was curator of the exhibition Sir Edmund Hillary: Everest and Beyond for Auckland War Memorial Museum and her authorised, illustrated biography of Sir Edmund Hillary was published by Penguin in 2005. She went on to write four cookery books which celebrate the skills of earlier generations of home bakers: Ladies, a Plate: traditional home baking, 2008; A Second Helping: More from Ladies, a Plate, 2009; What’s for Pudding? 2011 and Ladies, a Plate: Jams and preserves, 2013. In 2015 she was commissioned by Goodman-Fielder to carry out a complete rewrite of the Edmonds Sure-to-Rise Cookery Book, and this was published in September 2016. She made and tested all the recipes for her books – and took all photographs – in her home kitchen in Auckland.