For one night only, two forager-chefs from opposite ends of the Pacific will cook together at Pipitea Marae, in an all inclusive six course dinner that could only happen in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Pipitea Marae has always been a place of gathering and welcome. For generations, Te Āti Awa ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara has offered manaakitanga to those who arrive by sea, by land, and now, from across the Pacific. On 29 August, that tradition continues with a dinner bringing together two chefs whose life's work is rooted in the same conviction: that honouring culture and history is best done via the puku. The story of this harbour is one of guardians, pathways, and the meeting of worlds. Te Āti Awa have long understood that the sea connects rather than separates. What began as a relationship across the Pacific between Te Āti Awa and Japan finds its expression at the table, where two Indigenous cultures share their stories through food. Chef Joe McLeod (Ngāi Tūhoe) brings more than 40 years' experience as an international chef, alongside six decades spent researching, recording, and reconnecting Mātauranga Kai Māori, returning traditional food knowledge to marae across Aotearoa. One of the foremost authorities on traditional Māori cuisine, Chef Joe's kaupapa is grounded in the belief that food carries whakapapa, and that restoring a people's relationship to their kai is an act of cultural survival. Chef Keiko Kuwakino travels from Satoyama Jujo in Niigata, Japan, where her Michelin-starred restaurant reflects a practice rooted in wild mountain vegetables, fermentation, and the rhythms of Japan's snow country. Her cooking begins with the land she forages. For Keiko, cuisine starts with the land itself, her role simply to listen carefully to nature and translate its story through food. Hosted by Te Āti Awa at Pipitea Marae, Kai Meets Shoku is a partnership between Wellington Culinary Events Trust, Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa, and E Kai Māori, supported by MBIE. Your ticket includes five courses, matched beverages for all courses, and Māori and Japanese entertainment,