In October 2023 acclaimed chef Michael Meredith opened Metita, a restaurant with the culinary vision of showing Polynesian food through his own lens. During its first year the SkyCity venue has quickly become one of the leaders of Auckland’s Pacific wave, a growing number of restaurants reimagining Polynesian flavours with contemporary flair. Metita’s success in striking a balance between authenticity and innovation won it one hat in the Cuisine Good Food Awards 2024, a fitting acknowledgement, Michael says, of his team. “There’s now a maturity in the Polynesian food scene. For chefs, our training has always been thinking about the best ingredients coming from Europe. So you always felt like your ingredients or what you put out was not good enough. Now we’re showcasing more regions of the world and people are celebrating their heritage more. And I think it’s just trickled down and given us more moments to be proud of the region that we come from and also celebrate what our cuisine is about.”

In February 2025, Michael will introduce his Te Vaka series, events that will celebrate the varied societies and cuisines of specific islands such as Fiji, Tonga, Niue and Samoa, capturing the spirit and heritage of each island. Bespoke menus will showcase the traditional dishes and ingredients of each featured island, because though geographically close and culturally similar in some ways, when it comes to food each place has its own distinctive way of doing things, taking input from different cultures and spinning it into their own.

But the Te Vaka series is more than just a meal: it’s a celebration of the traditions, values and stories that make these islands special, deepening guests’ connection to the Pacific heritage and history.

With Te Vaka, Michael is keen to delve deeply into the diversity and rich cultural roots of the Pacific islands. “It’s a melting pot,” he says. “It has evolved over the years and with many different influences but that’s the story of food – it doesn’t really stay still.” TRACY WHITMEY