Kia Kanuta on Kina
Kia Kanuta has worked as a chef in a range of Auckland establishments for 16 years and in more recent years has found his calling specialising in Kai Māori methods, ingredients, and techniques. He’s currently private cheffing and consulting on kitchen operations for new openings.
In November Kia will be cooking for the lucky guests who manage to get in first to book a ‘Dive and Dine’ experience at Kina Cottage on Booking.com (set your alarm! Check out a few pics of the property down below). The promotional stay showcases the stunning Tutukākā Coast two and a half hours north of Auckland; guests head out by boat to hand-harvest kina which is taken back to the cottage for a kaimoana feast cooked by Kia and served up with stories from the chef and a bird’s eye view out over the Pacific. I was lucky enough to preview the experience a few weeks ago – it’s utterly magical.
The spotlight is on kina for good reason. Kina is the Māori name for Evechinus chloroticus, a sea urchin endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand and a traditional valued food source for Māori, prized for the five reproductive organs inside the shell that swell with roe in the spring. There’s more kina around than usual which might sound like a good thing but it signifies an imbalance in the marine environment. Overfishing and likely other factors have taking out kina’s predators like snapper and crayfish, leaving the kina to gobble up all the kelp and other seaweed resulting in an ocean desert – a kina barren.
For Kia, kina is more than a hot topic, it’s a symbol of food sovereignty, it’s something his people have been gathering for centuries along with other kaimoana and he wants his children and grandchildren to be able to keep doing the same.
What does kina mean to you – did you grow up eating it and does it hold any special memories?
Oh I love kina. My first memory of kina is my father opening them on the beach and eating all the insides… when I tried it like that I didn't really like it, but when we got home and opened them together, I got to try them my dad's favourite way, on toast with lots of butter.
How would you describe kina as an ingredient to work with – prepping, storing, knowing how much is too little or too much – it must have its challenges for a chef?
Good question. When storing fresh kina roe, you should keep it in the juices from the shell. I would describe kina roe as having a light, fishy, egg yolk consistency – and I treat it [much like egg yolk] when cooking. When it meets high heat it is prone to scrambling, so if you’re cooking it it’s best over a low heat, gently stirring as if making an omelette.
What do you look for in a good kina specimen?
Fat roe. Vibrant colour. The darker ones tend to be slightly bitter.
How would you describe the flavour and texture of kina on its own, and what it can add to dishes?
Again, it's very similar to an egg yolk, texture-wise. Flavour-wise it's like a kiss from the ocean. It definitely adds an umami flavour that pairs well with peppery notes. For example, I think pink peppercorns pair best with kina roe and butter. It can also add viscosity to cream based sauces.
For someone who doesn’t like kina or isn't keen to try it for the first time, is there a subtle way of using it that you'd recommend?
Firstly, be brave and try it fresh from a trusted source. Secondly, fresh on toast with butter and a crack of black pepper. I personally have made mousses with the roe and paired it with pickled seaweed. I think these are the best ways to try kina authentically. Some people like it, some people don't. And that's okay.
What's your number one favourite way to eat kina?
On the beach with the cuzzies.
Tell us a bit about your time spent in Tutukākā
I hadn't spent much time up there at all before this . It's absolutely stunning. Something special I noticed was the tui songs were different to their city counterparts that I grew up with. I also spotted a kōtuku-ngutupapa / royal spoonbill which was really cool. And everyone I met was lovely too... must be something in the water.
Kina barren are becoming common due to imbalances in the ecosystem – as a chef and person who shares insights into Matuaranga Māori in the work you do, what message do you have for people about how we treat our ocean and the resources it provides?
My old man used to say, "Never forget the price of fish". This hakaro has grown with me and is ever-present when I'm out on the water taking a feed. As a chef, not looking after the ocean is drastically affecting what we can and can't serve in a restaurant. Fish species have become rarer and rarer, and prices have increased to the point where it's almost not worth having fish on your menu. As a man who was taught to have the utmost respect for the moana, it makes me sad to see the state some of our coastlines are in. The price of fish isn't just the monetary value we put on it; it's everything else.
Be conscious, careful, and considerate when harvesting kai from our oceans.
The Booking.com Kina Cottage will be available for booking on a first-come, first-served basis on 23 October at 12pm NZDT for one Booking.com traveller and a guest, for a stay between 20-23 November. For just $20.11 - guests will experience a once in a lifetime itinerary including:
A personalised hosted kina diving experience with Dive Now
A bespoke dinner menu featuring the kina catch of the day, prepared by chef Kia Kanuta
Daily breakfast and snacks provided by local makers, producers and chefs
Return flights (domestic or international, depending on Booker’s location) and car rental or transfers
Three nights’ accommodation at the Booking.com Kina Cottage between Thursday 20 November and Sunday 23 November 2025
For more information and to book the Booking.com Kina Cottage, visit https://www.booking.com/hotel/nz/the-kina-cottage.html. Outside of the Kina Cottage experience, the holiday home is bookable on Booking.com year-round as the ‘Oceanview Cottage Tutukākā Coast’.
