Counter Narratives

A Kaupapa-Based Photo and Interview Series Exploring Food, Culture, and Community in Ōtautahi

Food is never just food. It carries culture, whakapapa, memory, survival, and resistance. It tells stories about who we are, where we come from, and the histories that shape us—often quietly, between shared meals.

Counter Narratives is an upcoming kaupapa Māori-led project that will explore the everyday kitchens of Ōtautahi’s diverse and marginalised communities. Through intimate visits, this project will document the recipes, spaces, and people who bring food stories to life—challenging dominant narratives and celebrating the rich cultural knowledge that often goes untold.

Counter Narratives is supported through community funding. You can back the project here: Boosted Ōtautahi

What Is Counter Narratives?

This project will be a series of photographic essays, interviews, and recipes capturing the lived experience of food in homes across Ōtautahi. Each story will include:

• Photographs of kitchens and cooking spaces, revealing the heart of the home and the backdrop for storytelling.

• Portraits and candid shots of the cooks preparing meaningful recipes, connecting food to identity and history.

• Conversational interviews that explore the deeper stories behind the recipes — their origins, meaning, and role in culture and belonging.

• The recipes themselves, shared openly to encourage celebration and continuation of culinary traditions.

Where possible, shared mealtime moments will be documented to reflect how food builds connection, joy, and community.

Why Counter Narratives?

The name refers both to the kitchen counter—the place where food and stories come together—and to the idea of countering dominant narratives about food, culture, and belonging. This project is less about who cooks (because everyone cooks) and more about which stories get told, celebrated, and remembered.

Many voices and stories in Ōtautahi have been marginalised or overlooked in food histories. Counter Narratives seeks to shift that by foregrounding everyday expertise and lived experience, honouring the kitchen as a site of resilience, cultural survival, and resistance.

How the Project Will Work

Over the coming months, I will visit homes around Ōtautahi, selected for the richness and diversity of their food stories. Visits will be guided by kaupapa principles of care, reciprocity, and community connection.

I will photograph kitchens, cooking in action, and the people who hold these food traditions. I’ll conduct conversational interviews to gather stories and insights around recipes and their cultural significance. Where possible, I’ll share meals with participants and their whānau, capturing the moments of connection and joy that food creates.

The stories and images will be shared as free, accessible blog posts, creating a digital archive of Ōtautahi’s rich food heritage. The project will grow over time into a printed recipe book that preserves these narratives for future generations.

About Me

I’m Hayley Walmsley, a kaupapa-led photographer, artist, curator and writer based in Ōtautahi. My work centres on storytelling that honours Indigenous and community voices, exploring identity, culture, and resistance through visual and written media. Counter Narratives is a project close to my heart—a way to celebrate the everyday stories that shape us and the powerful role food plays in our lives.

Interested in Being Involved?

Do you have a food story, recipe, or kitchen that holds special meaning? Are you part of Ōtautahi’s diverse communities and want to share your experience through Counter Narratives?

I would love to hear from you! Whether your story is one of survival, joy, cultural inheritance, or something else entirely, your voice matters.

Please reach out to me at hayley@provocationstation.com or fill out the form belowexpress your interest or ask any questions. This project is grounded in respect, care, and reciprocity — and all participants will be engaged thoughtfully and with full consent.

Let’s share your story and the powerful role food plays in your life and community.

This kaupapa is made possible with community support. Every donation through Boosted Ōtautahi is doubled, helping keep these stories alive: Support Counter Narratives.

Follow along as Counter Narratives unfolds, and join the conversation about food, culture, and belonging here in Ōtautahi.