Hemi Cumming: making the most of a fish
06 May 2021
In te ao Māori (the Māori worldview), the moana (ocean) is not only a major source of kaimoana (seafood) but also has great cultural and spiritual significance. To Dr Hemi Cumming (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Koata), kaimoana are manifest as taonga (precious possessions) derived from the generosity of Tangaroa (the god of the sea).
Hemi, a marine product scientist with a background in organic chemistry, is working on the development of advanced processing methods to maximise the value of the whole fish. The notion of 100% utilisation of seafood and adding value to what is otherwise considered by-product, resonates with him.
“It’s common for Māori to consume not just the flesh of a fish but the head and other parts too. In our culture everything is connected. Seafood isn’t just food. Valuing a fish for more than just the flesh and making use of the whole fish shows respect for the animal, and if we can extract more value from a fish, fishing companies may not need to catch as many fish to be profitable.”
As a Plant & Food Research employee with a dual role, Hemi is also responsible for enabling and supporting Māori engagement, particularly with iwi in the Nelson region, where most seafood research is undertaken. With the Māori Strategy & Engagement Team, he is working to help align the organisation’s values with Māori principles. Hemi has whakapapa links to Whakatū (Nelson) where this research is being initiated, and he is instrumental in expanding cultural awareness, support and understanding for employees at the Nelson site to lift the cultural capability within the organisation.
Open Ocean Aquaculture (Ngā Tai Hōhonu) Growing Futures™ direction is another project in which Hemi is involved. His group of scientists, along with research partners and collaborators, are developing mobile and sustainable aquaculture systems that operate in the open ocean to free up the coastlines.
Hemi is leading a programme alongside iwi and Māori enterprises to jointly identify suitable fish species that have potential to thrive in these new aquaculture systems. The Gisborne native is making use of his iwi connections to promote genuine and active engagement with Māori groups toward science, as well as to design projects that have greater capability to attract Māori partners and gain their support. This is crucial as Plant & Food Research ventures into more seafood research on taonga species.
