A consumer food marketer, Mary believes food tastes best when ripened, procured and eaten at source.

 

Widely travelled, Mary personally leads Food Matters Tours to her favourite places, often a little off the beaten track!

 

Mary guarantees a variety of food experiences every day, but not just any old food experience - you might find yourself catching your own dragonflies for dinner; or maybe fishing for eels in Bali, drinking masala chai in India,  eating a camel burger in Morocco, enjoying Mandalay Rum in Myanmar or plucking your own tea in Sri Lanka.

 

The food experience may be simply dining somewhere special or dining with someone very special! It's not just the food that is important but where it is eaten and with whom it is shared.

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At home in Auckland New Zealand, Mary often eats on her deck, sharing freshly caught  snapper with friends. Mary lives at The Changing Shed, 8 minutes west of the bridge, a million miles from the city and just 1 metre from the beach, Accommodation is sometimes available.

 

“He whaka hira hira nga kai katoa” describes Mary’s business, Food Matters and roughly translated means – “food is important and anything to do with food.” Qualified in International Marketing, Mary has consulted to a number of food industry companies. It was appropriate then that Mary’s tours became Food Matters Tours.

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 Food Matters Tours 2020

through focus on food, an insight in to another's world

Om swastiastu, namaste, salam alaykum, mingalaba, ayubowan;

I  have been hoping daily for a miracle cure for Covid 19. My world changed when I received this-

“The New Zealand Government is now advising all New Zealanders to avoid non-essential travel overseas due to the outbreak of COVID-19, associated health risks and travel restrictions”

 

As soon as travel advisories are changed and restrictions are lifted I will return to my tours with a vengeance - but in the meantime- I regret to advise that I have no alternative but to cancel my planned 2020 Food Matters Tours and all associated bookings.

 

My hope is that like the flower of Sri Lanka we will soon be able to emerge with new plans; The Sri Lankan Water Lily - from out of a quagmire can emerge something beautiful

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My tours have continued despite volcanic eruption, earthquakes, bombs, revolution, floods, civil war, demonetisation, tsunamis, and massacres but these pale into insignificance compared to the global impact of this current virus; especially for the elderly.  

 

I hope that you and your families and friends remain well and that we will reunite as soon as this pandemic is eradicated

 

Sent with sorrow and hope,

Mary

Disclaimer- Mary  began her business Food Matters in 1999, plagiarising the name from her friend Philip's Growth Matters and in turn plagiarised by her friend Terry with Talking Matters. Her business is not associated in any way with recent companies using the same name -i.e. Food Matters Aotearoa and Food Matters TV. 

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Supporting Hand Projects and Awards

Mary recognizes that the places she visits, while spiritually rich, are often financially poor. Support projects are ongoing to support and empower various communities. This enables Food Matters Tours to get beneath the surface and meet with the locals. Current projects include books for children, cricket gear to war survivors, water tanks, support of women’s co-operatives and providing merino vests for fishermen. Projects after the 2004 tsunami concentrated on fishing initiatives,rebuilding boats, building an ice plant and refrigerated transport .

 

Mary is firmly of the opinion that we get more back than we ever give. Her work has been recognized by The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International Paul Harris Fellows, Gareth Morgan Kiwi Heroes, Geoffrey Roberts Awards, Auckland City Council Living Legends.

Thanks are due to her many project supporters, friends, relatives, tour clients and especially to Merrill of Dilmah Tea, Rohan of Fresco Foods, Nigel and the Howick Pakuranga Cricket Club, Singapore Airlines and Icebreaker. 

 

For more information contact Mary by email: mary@foodmatters.co.nz  

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