Māori living on the East Coast have found a way to turn thousands of hectares of unproductive land into gourmet harvests - all using a plant once considered a weed.
University of Auckland (UoA) engineers have helped Tairāwhiti landowners turn kanuka - a tree closely related to manuka - into a smoky liquid extracted from roots and leaves.
UoA associate professor Saeid Baroutian told 1News that the liquid is a food flavouring and preservative that "can add beautiful aroma and flavour to food".
The nearly-decade-long project is hoped to become a commercial opportunity benefiting rural East Coast communities, such as Ruatoria.
Pia Pohatu of Nuka Charitable Trust said the work with kanuka "represents a modern way of invigorating whāna and whenua".
"We are confident we can manage it really sustainably so we can meet the needs of the production process but still retain our whenua," she said.
The team behind the product celebrates its efficiency, as a small amount of kanuka can produce plentiful liquid and bi-products of the extraction process can be used as fertiliser.
"From one kilogram of wood, we can produce half a litre of liquid smoke, its very efficient, environmentally friendly, and it is economic," Baroutian said.
It means a once discarded tree now has the potential to change lives out east.
Watch 1News report in the video above to see how the process takes place.
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