A series of cooking demonstrations are being run for Pacific Island people living in New Zealand to promote food safety and healthy eating.
As part of the initiative by the Pacific Islands Trade and Investment Commission and Auckland City Council Community Services, Pasifika communities in Auckland are being offered the chance to see different chefs prepare healthy meals using traditional Pacific foods.
A spokesperson for PITIC, Louisa Sifakula, says there is room for more Pacific Island chefs in New Zealand, but sometimes those with potential to become chefs are too apprehensive.
"If we can just encourage more people to get involved, to sort of step up and not be afraid to put their skills to the test, that would be fantastic. We see a lot of Japanese restaurants, Asian fusion but we really feel the Pacific Islands have a lot more to offer."
Louisa Sifakula says the healthy eating aspect of the cooking demonstrations is a reflection of the obesity problem in New Zealand.
