I mua i te taenga mai o tauiwi, kainga ai e te iwi Māori

te kiko tohorā me ērā atu wāhanga pērā i te pakawēra,

te iaia, te whēkau me te hinu. I te nuinga o te wā, nō

tētahi tohorā i paea ki uta. Arā ētahi iwi e whakaaro

ana ki te whakaara ake tēnei tikanga o mua. Engari

kāore e whakaaehia ana i raro i te ture whakamaru i

ngā ngote ū o Tangaroa, 1978. Tērā pea ka pā ētahi

momo māuiui ki te tangata, ki te hapori rānei, inā ka

kainga te kikokiko o te tohorā kua paea ki uta, ka pērā

anō hoki te mōrearea kite tangata tapahi i te wheua o

te tohorā. Ka atā tirohia ēnei mōrearea, arā, te

konganuku taumaha, te matūwaro hau māota, te

kitakita, te pirinoa, me te wheori. Tērā pea, ka eke

noa atu te kaha o te konuoi o roto i te kikokiko tohorā

i tā ngā ture kai o Aotearoa e kī ai. I runga anō i ngā

rangahautanga ka puta te whakatau, kāore e

whakararua te hauora o te tangata e kai ana i te

kikokiko tohorā kāore e roa tana paenga ki uta, mēnā

e tika ana tā te ringawera mahi. Me haere tonu ngā

rangahautanga kia kitea ai te kaha o te noho mai o te

konganuku taumaha me ētahi atu mōrea koiora

mororiki ki roto i ngā ngote ū o Tangaroa inā ka paea

ki uta ki Aotearoa nei. Kāore e pai ana te kai i te

pakawēra, i te whēkau ranei i runga i te kaha o te noho

mai o te matū kino me te mōrea koiora mororiki.

Prior to European contact, Māori tradition of eating

whale meat and other tissues (blubber, oil and internal

organs) was mainly from stranded whales. Recently

several iwi have expressed interest in using stranded

whales as a food resource. Such use of marine

mammals in New Zealand is currently not permitted

by the Department of Conservation (DOC) in

accordance with the Marine Mammals Protection Act

of 1978. There are potential public and personal health

hazards not only associated with the consumption of

meat and other tissues from stranded whales but also

the currently practised harvesting of bone. A detailed

analysis of these hazards is presented within the

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)

guidelines. Hazards include heavy metals,

organochlorines, bacteria, parasites and viruses. The

mercury content in whale meat may exceed the levels

permitted in foodstuffs as outlined by the New Zealand

food regulations. It is concluded from available

information that the meat from recently euthanased

whales does not pose a serious microbiological health

risk when suitable handling and hygiene techniques

are employed and the meat is thoroughly cooked.

Further research is needed to evaluate the quantity of

heavy metal residues and microbiological hazards in

the tissues of cetaceans which strand in New Zealand.

It is not recommended that blubber and internal organs

are eaten, as these tissues may contain high levels of

toxic chemical residues and hazardous microbiological

agents.