A new brand of mussels that exemplify Māori innovation and tradition is being launched in supermarkets across the North Island.
They should arrive in the South Island and Australia later this year, and enter the North America and Europe markets soon after.
Te Arawa-owned and operated, Hī Mussels offer seafood lovers a new, high-quality mussels packed with distinctly Aotearoa flavours.
The bite-sized, succulent, green-lipped mussels are sustainably farmed from the South Pacific waters of Coromandel.
The new brand is launching with two ranges of greenshell mussels – infused and marinated.
Hī (pronounced ‘he’), uses new technology to create and package the smoke-infused and marinated mussels without compromising on size or texture.
The infused mussel range is delicately blanched and steamed, drawing on the legacy of a traditional Māori cooking method, which is then sealed to lock in flavour and long-life.
Chris Karamea Insley says the launch of Hī into New Zealand supermarkets signals a significant milestone in Te Arawa’s decades long fisheries journey.
“Māori and kaimoana have been entwined for generations. On the journey from Hawaiki to Aotearoa, our ancestors were gifted kaimoana by Tangaroa, the god of the sea, to sustain them.
“Generations later, that connection and sense of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of te moana (the sea) and kaimoana (seafood) persists and makes us the ideal people to bring this product to the world.”
Mr Insley says sustainability is a top priority and informs Hī’s business strategy.
“We want to leave this whenua better off than how we found it. That means investing in long-term, sustainable solutions to farming kaimoana, as well as packaging them in a sustainable way.
Profit from this new business venture will remain in the New Zealand economy and will be invested back into initiatives that benefit iwi Māori.
