Oire Pacific team win 'My Kuki-Are Rules' MKR trophy
Wintec's Oire Pacific team participated in the MKR (My Kuki-Are Rules) cooking competition on Saturday evening at our Rotokauri Campus hospitality kitchens.
Run by Hamilton Cook Islands Association (HAMCIA), this annual cooking competition forms part of the region's celebrations of Cook Islands Language Week. The event sees teams cook cuisine, create new recipes and reimagine traditional Cook Islands dishes, along with having a lot of fun and connection.
Joshua Kanara-Bailey, Senior Academic Staff Member, Centre for Trades, has been working with the HAMCIA trust members for the past few years running this event. Josh's two children Jayda and Jackson were also excited to join in and be part of the evening.
Barry Finch, Senior Academic Staff Member, Centre for Trades, attended as a guest judge for the evening.
Rose Marsters, Wintec's Strategic Pacific Director, said "Our Oire Pacific team are focused on supporting existing community group efforts and events during the Cook Islands and other Pacific Language Weeks, to create a bridge and connection between our Wintec Te Pūkenga community and our many diverse Pacific communities."
This year, Wintec's Oire Pacific won the event and Te Epetoma o te Reo Kuki Airani 'My Kuki-Are Rules' MKR trophy. They had close competition from the other two teams from the Pacific community, including one team of young people and the previous winners from last year.
