Photo: Rachael McKenna
is the First Ingredient
Intention
Ka kā wā and the philosophy of Marōtini
Photo: Rachael McKenna
Meeting Marōtini
When you meet Marotini, known to many as Fiona, she greets you not just with words, but with her story: her whakapapa (lineage),
a nod to the ships her ancestors sailed on to Aotearoa (New Zealand), and the landscape—mountains, rivers, iwi (tribes)—that shape her identity.
Her chin moko, or moko kauae, is as much a conversation-starter as it is a declaration of her heritage. This ceremony of introduction, or whakawhanaungatanga, is more than ritual—it's intention made visible, a way to locate herself in history and in community.
Whakawhanaungatanga
(noun, Māori)
The process of establishing relationships, making connections, and relating to others—often through shared experiences, stories, and whakapapa (genealogy).
Whakawhanaungatanga is a foundational Māori value: it emphasizes building authentic, respectful, and meaningful relationships, creating a sense of belonging and collective identity both within whānau (family) and across wider communities.
"We see ourselves as part of the environment, not just living here... My whakapapa, my genealogy, is also my process—where things come from, the systems they uphold, and where they’re going."
Cacao as Medicine, Food as Whakapapa
Her approach to chocolate is unlike anything found on a supermarket shelf. For her, cacao is medicine—not in a metaphorical sense, but in the direct connection between food, Māuri (life-force), and wellbeing. She frames her chocolate-making as part of a wider tradition of kai as rongoā (food as medicine): "What I want is for people to get the goodness of cacao and the medicinal benefits... They’re eating chocolate, but really, they’re eating something that’s good for them."
Her pursuit is restorative—a way to help people heal from processed foods and the disconnections of modern life. Drawing on her own history of healing mental and physical unease through food, nature, and ritual shapes her mission at Ka kā wā.
Whakapapa:
Genealogy, ancestral lineage; also the systems/processes underpinning all things
Māuri:
Life-force, energy, source of vitality
Rongoā:
Traditional Māori medicine
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