Whakatāne’s first poetry-inspired culinary experience arrives in early December.

Toikupu, Toiora with Kārena and Kasey Bird – is a fusion of poetry, performance and Māori cuisine, and will be hosted by Mataatua Wharenui on December 6 and 7.

This multi-disciplinary and multi-sensory black-tie event brings together poetry, waiata, and haute indigenous cuisine.

MasterChef winners and celebrated wāhine Māori chefs Kārena and Kasey Bird will create a bespoke iwi-inspired menu interpreting poetry.

Each dish is crafted in response to one of six original poems from the Ngāti Awa wahine Rangipare Ngaropo’s debut poetry collection, Raised by the Renaissance.

This is an entirely new culinary challenge in which poetry, and a specific iwi becomes the blueprint for flavour, texture, and storytelling, said Ngaropo.

The selected poems delve into themes of Ngāti Awatanga, Māori identity, contemporary life, and te ira wāhine. Their interpretations into kai will allow guests to not only hear and feel these narratives but taste them, she said.

Live performances by local wāhine kaiwaiata will further enrich the atmosphere, offering manuhiri a deeply immersive journey at the intersection of toikupu (poetry), toiora (wellbeing, sustenance) and Māori creative expression.

In partnership with The Kai Institute, this kaupapa was brought to life through support from The Creative Community Scheme, Te Mātāwai and Ngāti Awa Group Holdings.

Copies of Raised by the Renaissance will be available for purchase ahead of the event at Paper Plus Whakatāne.

General admission tickets of $180 for the Saturday night have sold out, but there are still tickets for the wine and mocktail pairing of $45 for Saturday, and tickets for both on the Sunday night through events.humanitix.com