Food sectors and professions as contemporary mechanisms of food colonialism in Aotearoa New Zealand

Disruptions to human connections with food and Indigenous food systems are central features of colonialism, yet the mechanisms sustaining these disruptions in contemporary contexts remain underexplored. This discussion paper presents a new definition of food colonialism and examines how food sectors and professions function as instruments in sustaining food colonialism in contemporary settler societies. Centred on Indigenous Māori experiences and contexts in Aotearoa New Zealand, this paper analyses food colonialism through four tenets: denial of Indigenous rights, assimilative practices, colonial control and appropriation. Abolitionist theory is presented as a suitable theoretical grounding for individuals and organisations across food sectors, food professions, and public health to work towards solutions that redress the issues of food colonialism as a public health concern. These discussions have relevance beyond Aotearoa New Zealand, as the mechanisms of food colonialism are applicable to other settler states and colonial contexts where Indigenous rights remain contested.