Katarina Tawiri

Katarina’s passion for growing and eating plants is the thread that is woven through the fabric of her life. It started during her childhood in Switzerland, where she volunteered as a cook at school camps. At 15 she decided to become a vegetarian. At 18 she did a one-year apprenticeship in self-sufficiency. French cuisine and gardening were part of the curriculum. Her four-year certification in farming taught her about growing food and faced her with the reality of animal farming. On 14 February 2020, Katarina started her Wholefood Plant-based journey. She is a member of Evidence Based Eating NZ and is the only certified Food for Life instructor in Aotearoa-New Zealand. She runs cooking classes, teaching participants how to cook simple, inexpensive, and delicious meals with long-lasting health benefits. Her dream is to create a Food for Life programme in partnership with and for Māori in Aotearoa.