June 27, 2022
Pure Pāua and purest cod net rewards
A business that has added value to fisheries on Wharekauri-Chatham Islands has been named Supreme Champion in this year’s Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards.
Delwyn Tuanui from Ngāti Mutunga and wife Gigi started Chatham Island Food Co while studying agriculture in Melbourne, after he saw the response of his friends to his home-cooked blue cod.
He started importing Chatham Islands fish for Sydney and Melbourne restaurants, and in 2015 the pair return to the island and bought a rundown fish-processing plant on Wharekauri.
They now employ 25 staff and work with 30 fishing boats.
As well as the supreme award, Chatham Island Food Co was named Seafood New Zealand Water Champion for its Pure Pāua, which judges described as the real deal.