Janice Lee
Janice Lee is a disability advocate, focused and working on empowerment through learning skills to support independent and autonomous living for people with disabilities.
As part of that mahi, Janice, through the Charity she began (Koha Kai) has been focused on food resilience and food sovereignty in the southern region. Teaching people how to grow their own food and then how to cook it has been a key part of the Koha Kai kaupapa towards that goal of independence for Tangata Whaikaha.
One of the founding members of Murihiku Kai Collective - MKC brings people and organisations connected to all aspects of food resilience and environmental action from across the rohe and collectively we have created our own regional Good Food Road Map Koha Kai works on a grass roots level with people, their latest initiative - working with Kainga Ora is around establishing maara kai in all of the Kainga Ora homes in Southland, and mentoring those whānau on how to grow food to match the seasons in the deep south, using maramataka principles, companion planting and spray and pesticide free.
Her hope is that this relationship with Kainga Ora will create employment opportunities for Tangata Whaikaha, and as they work alongside Whānau their own learning will be embedded as they share knowledge with others.
Janice will be speaking at the From the Soil Up session during the Food Resilience Day at Wao Summit 2024.