Nau mai e ngā hua o te wao o te ngakina o te wai tai o te wai Māori Nā Tāne Nā Rongo Nā Tangaroa Nā Maru Ko Ranginui e tū iho nei Ko Papatūānuku e takoto nei Tūturu whakamaua Kia tina! TINA! Hui ē! TĀIKI E!
Welcome the gifts of food from the sacred forests from the cultivated gardens from the sea from the fresh waters The food of Tāne, of Rongo, of Tangaroa, of Maru I acknowledge Ranginui who is above me, Papatūānuku who lies beneath me Let this be my commitment to all! Draw together! Affirm!
This is a karakia mō te kai. It is explicitly relevant to giving thanks for the kai that sustains us, and to those that harvested and tended to its growth. Although historically, Māori used karakia kai for planting and harvesting seasons, nowadays it is widely used before a meal or in spaces involving shared kai. This karakia mō te kai acknowledges numerous atua who represent the different realms of kai and where it comes from.
