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Health, Ethics, Environment AUTUMN 2016 | $8.50 RRP

NEW ZEALAND

VeggieFun for Kids Pie Contest

Winner Vegans in Antarctica

On the Radio

Crafting Chocolate

ISSN 2324-1233

Vegan Pride

Parade

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posters

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Letters to the EditorIf you have thoughts to share on what you read in Vegan New Zealand or some other vegan topic, please send a letter to editor@vegansociety.co.nz.GuidelinesLetters should be 300 words or less (or consider submitting an article). Letters may be edited for sense, style, brevity, or suitability. The Vegan Society reserves the right to abridge or withhold correspondence.

Jessica Parsons

From the Editor

I hope everyone’s 2016 is off to a good start!

I often see my friends celebrating their “veganniversary” – the day they became vegan. I can’t do that as I don’t know the day, about 20 years ago, that I adopted a vegan diet for health reasons. Back then, I hoped for a long-term impact on my life, but I didn’t know what that would be. Back then, the sharp divide and conflict between health vegans, ethical vegans, and environmental vegans didn’t really exist. I spent heaps of time on VegSource.com, which hosted discussion boards for veg*ns of all varieties, and that’s where I learned the stark ethical and environmental basis for veganism.

Why do some people go back to eating animals after learning enough to go vegan in the first place? Of course, the entire world pressures you to eat animals: doctors, family, teachers, advertising…even the simple availability of food creates anti-vegan pressure. Really, we should be wondering what keeps people vegan in spite of it all.

Some interesting studies have already been done on this question, and it’s worth researching the results. Staying vegan requires a motivation that you, personally, really care about. Whatever that is for you; the world is a better place because of that conviction. And keep on learning, because having more than one makes you even stronger when the challenges come.

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AUTUMN 2016 | ISSUE #

25Southernmost World Vegan Day 2015 4

High Carb Health Talk 6

Safe and Sound with Sandra Kyle 8

No Rodeos! 10

Cauliflower Potato Casserole 11

Hapí Clean Kai Co-op 12

Vegan Pride Parade 13

The Rise of Craft Chocolate 14

VeggieFun for Christchurch Kids 16

Sweet Release into Health 18

INVSOC 20

Jeff Masson’s Great Book Giveaway! 22

The Vegan Z Pie 23

Best Beauty Picks For Autumn 2016 24

Sante Review 25

Craft chocolate bars: photographer Kirsten Bradley

Vegan New Zealand is published by The Vegan Society of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Views expressed in Vegan New Zealand are not necessarily the views of the Society. © Copyright The Vegan Society of Aotearoa 2015.

To become a member visit our website www.vegansociety.co.nz

PO Box 78111, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1245For advertising enquiries, suggestionsor feedback email info@vegansociety.co.nz

Editor: Jessica Parsons, editor@vegansociety.co.nzGraphic Designer: Jana Kastner, jana@graphiccookie.com

For advertising enquiries please contact Amanda@vegansociety.org.nz

A child enjoying VeggieFun!

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IS: This is my ninth time at Scott Base and it is always a pleasure to come here because the people are so nice. You have to be really great at what you do to get down here, both for the Scott Base staff because there is such demand for the jobs and as scientists. So you have people who really care about their job, people and the environment. I’m a fussy vegan at the best of times and I’ve got a fair idea of what food works for me in the cold, so I usually cook all my own meals down here. The chefs have been great at letting me access the kitchen. I shipped most of my vegan food supplies down with our cargo.

When I am mainly working inside Scott Base, I eat mostly what I would at home, like porridge for breakfast, salad and crackers for lunch and pasta with beans for dinner. That often surprises people, but Scott Base is warm! Unlike most Dunedin houses, it is well–insulated and has central heating set to at least 18°C, so there is no

Southernmost World Vegan Day 2015

IS: Ha-ha! I hadn’t actually thought of it that way until you put that photo of us up on the World Vegan Day NZ Facebook page with the distance of 3495 km to Invercargill marked on a map and your reference to Invercargill as the “Far North”! There might be vegans further south at the moment, at South Pole Station, but I am not sure.

JW: Is it easy being a vegan in Antarctica? How do the others in your party treat you?

IS: It is easy eating vegan here. Clothing is a bit trickier. I’m normally an ethical vegan back home but here we are issued with an Extreme Cold Weather jacket filled with down/feathers, woollen socks, woollen gloves and leather boots. Everyone is really nice.

SB: Yes, everyone here is very respectful. People ask about being vegan but always in a really respectful and genuine way. The chefs, Mike Allison and Keith Garrett, have been amazing! Keith hadn’t catered for many vegans before but he has been really keen to learn what vegans eat. He and Mike have been making special meals for me, which have been delicious!

Jordan Wyatt, Inga Smith, Sophie Bainbridge

JW: What are two vegans doing at Scott Base, Antarctica?

IS: We’re both here for work. I’m a sea ice physics researcher at the University of Otago and I’m here with the climate impacts project “Supercooled ice shelf cavity water and the influence on sea ice growth”. There are some videos of what we’ve been doing made by LEARNZ available on the web: www.learnz.org.nz/antarctica154/videos.

SB: I’m an engineering geologist at Golder Associates and I’m here doing a geotechnical investigation for Antarctica New Zealand, which is the Government agency that runs Scott Base. The Scott Base labs and building facilities are being expanded to cater for the demands of more climate-related science projects, some of them year-round. The geotechnical report from Golder Associates will allow Antarctica New Zealand to make informed decisions about foundations etc. in the context of future climate change and while minimising the environmental impacts of construction.

JW: What is it like being a vegan at the ABSOLUTE bottom of the world?

In the Summer 2015 edition of Vegan New Zealand magazine, Jordan Wyatt reported that INVSOC had ceded their title of “southernmost vegans in the world” to Sophie and Inga, who were at Scott Base, Antarctica, for World Vegan Day. Jordan carried out an email interview with Sophie and Inga, here is the whole story of what they were doing down there.

Sophie Bainbridge (dressed as a carrot) and Inga Smith (with leek hat) at the Scott Base sign on World Vegan Day 2015. Photo by Nicky Brown.

Inga taking some time out to admire the sea ice pressure ridges near Scott Base. Photo by Inga Smith.

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• SUNFLOWER-WALNUT SAUSAGES

vegan, gluten-free, nuts, seeds, vegetables, non-gmo tofu (no junk ingredients)

In the freezer at good food stores

www.foodgarden.co.nz

• SUNFLOWER-WALNUT MINCE

• SUNFLOWER-WALNUT RISSOLES

• SUNFLOWER-WALNUT SAUSAGES

vegan, gluten-free, nuts, seeds, vegetables, non-gmo tofu (no junk ingredients)

In the freezer at good food stores

www.foodgarden.co.nz

• SUNFLOWER-WALNUT MINCE

• SUNFLOWER-WALNUT RISSOLES

• SUNFLOWER-WALNUT SAUSAGES

vegan, gluten-free, nuts, seeds, vegetables, non-gmo tofu (no junk ingredients)

In the freezer at good food stores

www.foodgarden.co.nz

• SUNFLOWER-WALNUT MINCE

• SUNFLOWER-WALNUT RISSOLES

• SUNFLOWER-WALNUT SAUSAGES

vegan, gluten-free, nuts, seeds, vegetables, non-gmo tofu (no junk ingredients)

In the freezer at good food stores

www.foodgarden.co.nz

• SUNFLOWER-WALNUT MINCE

• SUNFLOWER-WALNUT RISSOLES

NOW SOY FREE

Jordan Wyatt, Inga Smith, Sophie Bainbridge

need to eat special “cold weather food” on days when I’m dealing with cargo and other inside tasks. On days when we are working in −20°C conditions, I switch to a carbohydrate-rich and energy-dense breakfast of pasta and beans and pack a vegan junk food lunch of potato chips, chocolate, dates and snack bars. I never normally eat chocolate at home and rarely potato chips but those definitely help keep me warm down here!

JW: Is it a pain not being able to nip out to the local Pak n Save when you’re out of vanilla soymilk?

IS: Funny you should ask that! I actually packed a couple of litres of my favourite soya milk and those have been handy for getting energy into me after long fieldwork days. Scott Base does actually have soya milk available for people to have in their coffee. There’s also tempeh and tofu sausages for field camps, so vegans are well catered for here. They’ve had a vegan chef, Bobby McSweeney, winter-over for three years out of the last six and I think she’s really helped raise awareness of what foods vegans and vegetarians need down here. There are a couple of more vegan scientists coming down with the Ross Ice Shelf project the week after I leave. JW: What are the wild animals like, who do you see most often?

IS: At this time of year (October/November), Weddell seals hang out on the sea ice outside Scott Base and further out. They are very cute! You are not allowed to go close to them or disturb their behaviour without a permit but they are allowed to

Sophie with some of her rock samples. Photo by Inga Smith.

approach you. I’ve been vegan since high school and vegetarian since primary school because I love animals. A great part of this job is doing science (physics and maths) where I don’t hurt animals but get to see them in the wild.

SB: The Weddell seals are awesome! I love seeing them flop about on the sea ice and I was lucky enough to hear the surreal noises they make too (you can hear some here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CRBovMIvMI). I also saw some emperor penguins from a distance, it was exciting to see an animal I had watched on TV so many times sliding along the sea ice on its tummy.

Weddell seal sunbathing on the sea ice in front of Scott Base. Photo by Inga Smith.

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Shukul Kachwalla – Natural Health and Holistic Nutrition Practitioner

For all of February 2016, I was invited to India by Dr Nandita Shah, founder of SHARAN (Sanctuary for Health and Reconnection to Animals and Nature) India to give some talks and workshops on why veganism is the best solution for people’s health. SHARAN is a wonderful Not for Profit Organisation in India, whose vision is a diabetes-free India.

My program consisted of giving talks in Mumbai and Pune, talking about disease prevention and reversal via a whole-foods plant-based lifestyle rather than relying

on medications, and my area of expertise, digestive health. I also conducted a cooking class with the help of one of the SHARAN associates, Reyna Rupani and showed people how to make healthy and delicious food without the use of oil, sugar or any refined products.

Diet and diseaseI was able to explain to people how

to prevent and even reverse our most common chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and even common cancers such as of the breast, prostate and colon. In my digestive health workshop, we discussed how to reverse chronic digestive disorders such as Crohns, Ulcerative Colitis, IBS and IBD.

The audience was always amazed at the power of correct nutrition and that they now had the ability to prevent and reverse these common conditions! Health is really in your hands.

The sacred cowIndia has an extremely large vegetarian

community. So the majority of people I spoke with already did not eat meat.

Therefore, the main focus was on the harmful effects that cow’s milk has on the human body. We also showed the audience a video on how cows are treated in India. It is truly horrible what goes on in the industry over here.

One of the many actions that shocked me was that they put chilli powder in the cow’s eyes, if the cow will not follow directions. Quite a number of people were crying as they realised the harm that occurs to these beautiful creatures. In India, the cow is considered sacred, yet

High Carb Health Talk Promoting Veganism and Health in India

Shukul delivering his presentation in Mumbai

Dr Nandita Shah and Shukul Shukul at his cooking demonstration in Mumbai

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India is the largest exporter of beef in the world!

Reaching outThe programs were a hit! I was able

to speak to over 300 people during the seven events that I ran over two weeks. A lot of the people were amazed that the truth about the harm caused by animal products to their health was not commonly known, and many people told me that they felt they had been lied to their whole life.

During the cooking class, we made eight dishes including Thai Massuman Curry, Raw Cookies, Mexican Bean Salad and a Raw Cheesecake without any oil and completely from whole plant foods. Everyone was so pleased when they found out that healthy food is also delicious.

Movement for changeWhat I have seen is that veganism is truly

on the rise everywhere. The truth cannot be hidden forever. There are exceptional people everywhere spreading the message of love and compassion is so many ways, whether it be from the angle of animal rights, health or the environment and in many cases all three at once. When people hear a message presented in a logical and informative way, their perception changes and we get a shift in consciousness.

So many people told me after the events that they were going to make changes

to their lifestyle, and this gives me hope for the future. The animals need us, the planet needs us and we need to look after our health. Veganism offers us a viable solution to all three of these issues. We just need to reach more people in a manner that connects with them so that we can effect more positive change.

I feel more inspired than ever after my trip to India. I would like to thank Dr Nandita Shah and the whole team at SHARAN India for giving me the opportunity to share this information with

so many people. I definitely recommend you have a look at their website www.sharan-india.org for lots of great information on veganism and health, as well as some incredible Indian recipes!

I am very much looking forward to using the information I learned from SHARAN to deliver a similar program here in New Zealand. Keep an eye out for them on our Facebook page High Carb Health, and see you next time for the next edition of High Carb Health Talk.

Shukul and the rest of the SHARAN team

Watermelon Blend (Serves 1):Ingredients

• 1.5kg Watermelon• 1 Handful Mint Leaves• Ice as Desired

Instructions

1. Chop the watermelon into pieces.

2. Add watermelon, mint and ice into a high powered blender.

3. Blend until no chunks remain.

4. Serve in a glass.

Thai Massuman Curry (serves 2-4):Ingredients

• 500g Potato• 500g Sweet Potato• 2 Tbsp Curry Powder• 250ml Coconut Milk• 100ml Water• 2-3 Cups Brown Rice• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Chop potatoes and sweet potatoes into small chunks, unpeeled.

2. Add the coconut milk and curry powder

into a medium size pot. Add salt to taste.

3. Add the potatoes and sweet potatoes to the pot.

4. Pour in the water.

5. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Stir occasionally until the potatoes are soft.

7. Serve with cooked brown rice.

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Safe and Sound with Sandra Kyle

VNZ: When and why did you become vegan?

SK: I decided to leave meat and fish off my plate when I was a young woman at university. To tell the truth, it was less for ethical reasons and more that I wanted a diet that wouldn’t make me put on too much weight! However, I have always loved animals, birds and insects. If it could move, if it could look at me, I was fascinated by it. I also had a lot of compassion for animals, and often used to rescue baby birds, or birds who had flown into a window or been mauled by our cat. To this day I am incapable of going past a dog out for a walk without gushing. The very idea of harming an innocent, defenceless animal has always been painful to me.

I became vegan about five years ago. I went to a SAFE conference and watched an excellent presentation about dairying by Yolanda Soryl. By the end, I had made the mental switch from vegetarian to vegan.

VNZ: What made you want to start an animal rights radio programme?

SK: Not long after I moved to the Waikato from Auckland, I met Melvan Driscoll, a volunteer broadcaster at Free FM. Suddenly I heard myself saying: “I would like to do an

animal rights show, who should I contact?” The idea literally popped into my head. Silvana Erenchun-Perez, the Programme Director, was hugely supportive of my idea. Next thing I knew, I was poring over the Free FM broadcaster manual and trying to think of a suitable name. Amanda Sorrenson suggested the perfect name; keeping our fellow animals safe, supporting the work of SAFE and of course the word ‘sound’ is associated with the air waves. I chose “Free Me” by Goldfinger as the signature tune.

What about your team?SK: Lynley Tulloch has been with me

from the beginning. She’s a real gem. We have a history of writing together, mainly opinion pieces for daily newspapers, and we have written a couple of chapters of what will hopefully turn into a book, so we work together well. Lynley is as bright as a button, hugely capable and energetic, has a great sense of humour, and is very passionate about animal rights. She is also more spontaneous than I am, and the better interviewer of the two of us, I think. Our regular co-host Paul Judge is another real asset. He shares our passion for animal rights, and is extremely knowledgeable about all sorts of things, including politics

and environmental issues. I would like to acknowledge Lynley and Paul for their commitment. I would also like to acknowledge the wonderful support we get from Phil Grey, Free FM’s General Manager, Programme Director Mike Williams, and Silvana. It’s a great little radio station, and a great team behind it.

VNZ: How difficult is it to master the technical side of the job?

SK: In a commercial environment, radio hosts have their own producers and technicians. In community radio, when you are in the studio you have to do everything yourself. Even after all these shows, facing a control panel with about twenty channels and many buttons still makes me nervous, and I can rarely produce a show that doesn’t have glitches that need editing post-production.

Of course, sometimes the problems are not our fault. Once we were interviewing Hans Kriek and got him on the studio phone as usual, but when we switched the call to the recording console there was a problem with the line feeding back up to the studio. We could hear him pacing up and down as he waited patiently, but he could hear nothing at our end. We were yelling into

Waikato community radio host Sandra Kyle takes us behind the scenes of her animal rights-focused radio show and podcast

Alice Shopland of Angel Food with Gabriel at Starfish Sanctuary

Sandra Kyle at the studio

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the microphone, checking instructions frantically, randomly pressing buttons, but of course nothing happened. After multiple phone calls to poor Hans, we admitted defeat. I was relieved when I found out it was a technical malfunction, but felt sure that Hans would never let us interview him again! Fortunately, he was very good about it.

Luckily Mike, the current Programme Director, is exceptionally patient, with his years in professional radio helping mould me into a ‘proper’ broadcaster. He has told me the same things many times: remember when to turn the mics on and off, keep an eye on the different input channels, watch the various sound levels on the panel and on the monitor, watch the lights, remember to use the fader so that transitions are smooth, remember to cue in the ads, watch the time carefully… One problem I am still working on is excessive verbal responses all the way through the interview. Mike says that when I feel like saying “Yes”, or “That’s right”, or “I see”, I should nod my head instead.

VNZ: Can you give us an idea of how a show is put together?

SK: Sometimes it is just Lynley and I, or Paul and I in the studio, discussing a particular topic related to animal rights. One of us suggests an idea and we figure out what tack we will take. If we are interviewing a guest I first request an interview by email, and then send them some likely questions. I write an introduction to every show and prepare the animal rights news, which Lynley usually reads. During the interview we stop for a music track, usually a song by Vegan Smythe, a wonderful performer/

musician from Australia with a biting, satirical animal rights message. After recording the show, I listen to it and decide if there are any ums or pauses, or perhaps some misinformation or controversial content to be edited out. Until I master the editing software, this will continue to be overseen by Mike.

VNZ: What kind of demographic listens to you?

SK: It is certainly not just vegans! Our show broadcasts three times a week, including at 5:30pm, when many people listen on their drive home. After the show we did subsequent to the Sunday programme on bobby calves, there were 500 live streams or downloads from the Free FM website in just a few days. That’s not including those who are listening to the radio, or who download and share podcasts from our Facebook page, access radio, or iTunes. Possibly some thousands of people listen to us every month. Because we broadcast in the Waikato, a major dairying area, I imagine there are a fair few people who don’t like what we do also!

VNZ: Whom have you interviewed so far?

SK: In the eight months we have been broadcasting we have interviewed quite a number of people in the animal rights/animal welfare community. They include Hans Kriek, Executive Director of SAFE; Sam Tucker of Vegan Outreach; Lynn McDonald of the New Zealand Bird Rescue Trust; Alice Shopland of Angel Food; Carolyn Press McKenzie of HUHANZ, Academic and Environmentalist Dr Mike Joy, Green MP Mojo Mathers, Stephen Manson from the New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society, and SAFE Education officer Nichola Kriek.

We have also had a number of very active activists on the show, including Carl Scott, Kat Seeker, Lynn Charlton, Carlie Mascelle and Fiona Grieves. At the time of writing we are scheduled to interview Vegan Smythe, Peggy Oki, who works with Orcas, and Aaron Cross from the Greyhound Protection League of New Zealand. I am also trying to line up a number of international guests this year, including Lyn White, the head of Animals Australia, and American vegan sociologist and author, Timothy Pachirat who worked in a slaughterhouse and wrote a book about it called Every Twelve Seconds. This year we will be doing more overseas interviews, and we are looking forward to that.

VNZ: Are you pleased with the way things are going?

SK: I am always very critical of myself, and invariably at the end of a show I Sandra and Paul Judge at the studio

Lynley Tulloch of Starfish Sanctuary with Billy, from Anna Dahlberg’s Raglan sanctuary

Hans Kriek, Executive Director of SAFE

feel that we could have done better, but I am encouraged by the numbers of people who appear to be listening to and accessing our podcasts. I sometimes get feedback that a listener has decided to go vegan. It takes quite a bit of commitment to get a show to air, and this includes administering the Safe and Sound Radio Show and Podcast Facebook page. It is quite time consuming, and as I have to travel to Hamilton from Otorohanga there are petrol costs, as well as other operating expenses. I think Safe and Sound is a good example of the “put one foot in front of the other and learn as you go” school of initiative. Ultimately, our aim is to educate the public about animal rights, animal welfare, and veganism, and to influence hearts and minds. I think that is what we are doing, so I am quite happy.

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Direct Animal Action is a new Animal Rights community based in Auckland. We are a mix of experienced long term activists (who make amazing mentors) and a whole heap of new blood, ready to get

No Rodeos! Kathleen Lafferty, Amie Wolken, Deirdre Sims

emphasis on getting out there and effecting real change for animals.

This summer we launched our first campaign, aimed at banning rodeo in NZ. We were soon enduring all extremes of weather while protesting outside rodeo events across the North Island. The protests were held peacefully, using powerful imagery. Careful planning generated positive media coverage, and throughout the season we saw a consistent increase in the number of protesters.

Rodeo puts animals at risk of suffering, injury and even death all for the sake of entertainment. Over the last two rodeo seasons, four animals have been so severely injured in the arena that they were later euthanised. Recent footage has shown abuse and mistreatment: tail twisting, poking excessively with electric prods, kicking and slapping.

This has led us to call on the Government to implement a nationwide ban on rodeo. We know Kiwis don't want to see animals suffering for entertainment - and they especially don’t want to see them dying for it.

The campaign will be taking a new direction during the off-season. Rodeo sponsors will be asked to put their money into more ethical ventures. We will continue opposing rodeo until it’s gone. We’re not messing around here; we want permanent change.

It’s not all about rodeo though; amongst other things we are campaigning for a ban on colony cages for hens. There is a lot of exciting stuff happening right now! We welcome anyone who wants to join in the fight for animal rights, so get in touch.

www.facebook.com/directanimalaction

their hands dirty. We wanted to establish a community

where people could come together and work within an empowering and supportive environment - with a strong

DAA group protesting outside Warkworth Rodeo on 6th February

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ANIMALS AREN’T LAB TOOLS

WWW.NZAVS.ORG.NZ

Animal based research doesn’t reliably predict human responses - it harms both

humans and animals.To learn more contact us a for a

free information pack.

Cauliflower Potato Casserole

This delicious autumn dish is easy to make and will warm you up. It also works great with broccoli and other vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower• 450g potato• 1 bunch fresh chives

For the 'cream':• 3/4 cup (100g) cashews (soaked in filtered

water for at least 4 hours, then drained)• 1 1/3 cup water• 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg• 1 heaped tablespoon rice flour• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper• salt to taste (I used 2/3 teaspoon)

Instructions:

1. Chuck unpeeled potatoes into a medium sized pot, cover with water and cook until soft (approx. 30 minutes, test with a knife).

2. Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized chunks.

3. In another medium sized pot, bring water to the boil. Add whole cauliflower, bring to the boil and let simmer for 1 minute. Then drain and set aside in the pot. Alternatively you can steam the cauliflower.

Jana Kastner(Makes 1 casserole - vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)

4. When the potatoes are soft, drain them and let cool down a little. Then peel and cut into bite-sized chunks. Add to pot with the cauliflower.

5. Preheat the oven to 190°C (top-, bottom heat).

6. For the 'cream', blend all ingredients but the chives until smooth, adding the yeast flakes towards the end.

7. Pour the 'cream' into the pot with the cauli and potatoes, add the chopped chives and gently mix everything.

8. Scoop into the casserole dish and bake in the oven until golden-brown (approx. 20 minutes). If it gets brown too quickly, cover. Enjoy!

This and other recipes can be found on Jana’s page www.theveganmonster.com

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Hapí Clean Kai Co-opLocated just a few doors away from both

Ujazi and Chantal, two other vegan-friendly haunts in Napier, Hapí Clean Kai co-op has recently opened its doors to the public on Hastings Street.

The interior of the café is fresh and inviting – a mixture of light wood benches, white concrete walls, white ceramic tiles in the kitchen, and a dark wood floor with exposed concrete plus plenty of small plants providing splashes of green along with the mint coloured coffee machine.

The café is well stocked with glass jars containing sustainable wooden cutlery, and their selection of chilled cold pressed organic elixirs in the mini fridge all come in glass jars too.

I wasn’t too hungry when I spotted Hapí while walking past, but I couldn’t resist trying something out from their enticing menu. I opted for a Berry chia coulis & bounty bar Cocowhip sundae, and a ‘Gentle’ cold pressed organic elixir (Apple/Pineapple/Orange/Maca) with both costing $8. For $8 the juice is slightly smaller than you’d expect, but on the other hand it is expertly made with organic ingredients and the taste is simply fantastic so I definitely wasn’t disappointed. The Cocowhip sundae is made in one of the traditional pull-lever sundae machines which gives it an airy feel and lets it keep its whip until you’ve finished eating it. The ‘bounty bar’ part consisted of two raw bounty bar slice pieces on top of the berry chia coulis which was drizzled over the top of the whip. The whole thing

was very tasty and refreshing!They were also kind enough to give me

three tasters: a mushroom cheese, a parsley and walnut cheese, and a mascarpone. The mushroom cheese had a much stronger flavour than the parsley and walnut, and both were lovely and savoury. They also both had the texture of a thick hummus, so they are spreading cheeses rather than slicing. The mascarpone was perfectly sweet, I really wanted more!

Hapí Clean Kai co-op is the brainchild of Gretta Carney and Fleur du Fresne. Gretta has studied Homeopathy and Bio Dynamic Agriculture, and Fleur has studied Naturopathy. They are committed to making their kitchen allergy free – for example, they want to not only keep nuts separate from other ingredients but are even keeping particular nuts separate from each other to cater to specific allergies. They are also using as many organic ingredients as possible and trying to keep these separate from other non organic ones to move towards certification.

They are the first place in New Zealand to use Australian brand Cocowhip for their ice cream.

They also use no refined sugar, and only have organic sugar for the coffees and to feed to the kombucha. Everything else is sweetened with other ingredients such as rice malt.

All of the staff were really friendly and helpful, and the constant stream of customers I watched coming through the store all seemed very happy with their purchases.

All up, Hapí Clean Kai co-op is a fantastic place to visit for a midday café stop. If you’re ever in Napier, swing on by and check

Geraint Scott

out what’s in their cabinet to eat or get a delicious drink from the menu!

Hapí Clean Kai co-op is at 89 Hastings Street, Napier, Hawke’s Bay – see their website www.hapi.nz and facebook.com/hapinapier

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Hapí Clean Kai Co-opWith the Auckland Pride Parade such

an iconic event that attracts such a large crowd, I thought It would be great to organise a Vegan LGBTQIA+ group to march in the Parade.  All different types of groups and even businesses get together to be in the parade, so why not a vegan group?  I saw it as a great opportunity to not only help get the vegan message out to a captive audience, but also to show vegans in a different light than many people conjure up in their minds.

We had a good mix of 20 people walking, and our main focus all along was to portray a message of positivity and compassion, so people would see happy, healthy vegans having fun.  All activism is important, but it is also good to allow the public to see vegan groups in other situations than protests and rallies, as often that is the only exposure many people have to vegans. 

We had an amazing response from people on the day and awesome support from the organisers too (despite us applying to join in so late!)  We hope we were able to spark a few lightbulb moments and get people thinking about the connection between human rights and animal rights. 

We will definitely do it again next year, with a lot more planning. Hopefully we’ll have a float and even bigger group!

Vegan Pride ParadeAysha Hyndman

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The Rise of Craft ChocolateLuke Owen Smith

The chocolate revolution is upon us, and it’s a good time to be alive.

After centuries of mistreatment of the cacao bean and those involved with cacao farming, craft chocolate – or ‘bean-to-bar’ chocolate – is starting to take off. This is shifting expectations of how chocolate should taste and how cacao should be traded.

What is bean-to-bar?The name ‘bean-to-bar’ is reasonably self-

explanatory; these small-scale chocolate companies are producing chocolate from scratch, from the cacao bean to the finished product within the same factory. Most well-known chocolates, even the fancy artisan ones, are produced from pre-processed chocolate that is melted down and re-shaped, perhaps with some added flavours and ingredients.

We’re dealing with chocolate makers, not chocolatiers, and whilst there are some phenomenal chocolatiers out there, chocolate making is a completely different skill and involves a very intensive process. From the sorting of the beans to the roasting, the grinding and the conching, craft chocolate makers have complete control of every step of the chocolate-making process. At every stage there are influences and decisions to be made that affect the final flavour. For those involved in the industry, this is absolutely a labour of love.

The source of the beanPerhaps the most important decision for

a bean-to-bar producer, and the biggest difference between this type of chocolate and the mainstream, is which cacao beans to use and where to source them from. As is now reasonably common knowledge, a lot of the world’s chocolate is made from cacao that comes from West Africa, particularly the Ivory Coast and Ghana, and a lot of these farms are using child labour. On top of this horrendous blight on the industry, farmers are often paid next-to-nothing for the cacao they produce and forced to scrape by on a pitiful living

wage. We’ve seen it time and time again; the abuse of many for the gain of a few. Yet still these practices are allowed to continue because they have so thoroughly enveloped the whole system.

The craft chocolate industry is making some changes to this system, and though the waves are small, there is huge potential for righting some global wrongs. The artisan chocolate makers in this new wave are ethically sourcing their cacao, either through schemes like Fairtrade or, more commonly, through dealing directly with the farmers and paying well above market rates. This money goes directly to the farmers, rather than through a series of middlemen who skim from the top.

More chocolate flavourAs well as sourcing their beans more

ethically, predominantly from countries outside of Africa, bean-to-bar producers are sourcing a much higher quality of cacao, opting to use rarer, heirloom varieties that have not been abused or tainted in the name of mass production. Most of the world’s chocolate is made from the Forastero bean, which is a slightly flavourless bean that is used because of its resilience and high yield, but the craft chocolate makers are turning to more specialist strains, such as Criollo and Trinitario (which is a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero). These beans provide a much more interesting and intense flavour profile, resulting in chocolate with diverse flavours that are wildly different from the chocolate that most of us grew up with.

There are as many different flavours to be found in chocolate as there are in wine or beer, yet most people have one particular ‘chocolate flavour’ in their mind. It’s as if we’ve grown up only tasting Sauvignon blanc, and now we discover that there’s dozens of other grape varieties and a whole world of fine wine to explore, like a giant adventure playground for our tongues to run around, leaping and screaming with delight. If you’re a chocaholic like me, this is the most exciting time to exist.

Luke Owen Smith explores the bean-to-bar movement, aiming to make chocolate tastier, cleaner and fairer

Cocoa nibs at Nelson bean-to-bar maker, Hogarth Craft Chocolate

Chocolate mixing at Hogarth

Pouring it out

Chocolate into moulds

Wrapping it up

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hopefully help to develop the culture of it here in New Zealand.

So much vegan chocolateAnd the best news for most of you

reading this article; about 95 per-cent of the chocolate that we sell is vegan friendly. Craft chocolate is predominantly about bringing out the unique taste of these specialist types of cacao, so most producers avoid using milk in their bars as it tends to mask these subtle and delightful flavours. In fact, most of the bars we stock contain just two or three ingredients: cacao, sugar and perhaps a little cocoa butter or some fruit or nuts. Simple, minimal, clean. This chocolate is trustworthy.

So please do check out what we’re up to and explore the bean-to-bar universe. As well as tasting phenomenal, this chocolate is making a positive change in the world, so you can enjoy it with your heart and soul as well as your taste buds.

Craft chocolate available in New Zealand

The point of this article is to spread the message of craft chocolate and to introduce people to these wonderful flavours. In Wellington, we’re lucky enough to have the Wellington Chocolate Factory, which produces world class bean-to-bar chocolate (it is the reason I discovered the whole movement), but there is not much other bean-to-bar chocolate available.

After tasting Wellington Chocolate Factory’s chocolate I developed an insatiable desire to try more and more craft chocolate, to the point that I found myself having to order from overseas, which felt a bit excessive and was inconvenient. So I started The Chocolate Bar (thechocolatebar.nz), a bean-to-bar specialist chocolate shop that sells online and through a travelling market stall. As well as retailing some of my favourite chocolate in the world, the business is focussed on educating people about the bean-to-bar movement and will

Ingredients

• 4 large apples

• 25g Dick Taylor Maple Coconut chocolate

• 2 Tbsp organic coconut sugar

• 50g pecans, finely chopped

• 50g dried apricots, chopped

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• Juice of 1 orange

Baked apple ingredients

Baked apples!

The range at The Chocolate Bar

The Chocolate Bar stall at a sustainable market

Baked Apple GoodnessInstructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C

2. Combine chocolate, sugar, pecans, apricots and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well.

3. Remove the cores from the apples and place in a baking tray, then stuff the centres with the mixture.

4. Drizzle orange juice over each apple and then bake in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes.

5. Done!

You could serve this with some Little Island coconut ice cream, if you’re feeling really fancy.

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from one or two children, but by the end of the session, they are the same ones asking for seconds!

I hold the cooking classes in my home, and hope to further expand the programme by offering lessons at primary schools throughout Christchurch this year. Other plans include different types of plant-based cooking classes for specific groups such as teens, adults, couples and people wanting to convert to a “veggie lifestyle.” I also plan to hold a winter programme for children and to increase the number of cooking classes I host around the city.

My journeyIn all honesty, I didn’t always have a

positive relationship with food. I flirted with obesity for the first 24 years of my life, and my struggle can be traced back to poor eating habits I developed as a child. Ultimately, I educated myself about nutrition and learned invaluable plant-based food preparation and cooking techniques. In the process, I lost 52kg and I have maintained this weight loss for more than a decade.

I have transformed my life through plant-based cooking, and my healthy cooking classes for kids are beginning to do the same for local Christchurch children, by instilling in them a love of fruits and vegetables.

About VeggieFunVeggieFun (launched in September 2015),

aims to promote and educate communities on the health benefits of vegetables, and teach children how to prepare them in simple, affordable, and delicious ways. VeggieFun is based on the American Veggiecation programme, and I am a trained Veggiecation educator. The key to both the Veggiecation programme and to the VeggieFun philosophy is making vegetable preparation fun and exciting for children and their families.

Great for kidsI show children how to make simple

plant-based recipes and introduce them to vegetables that many may not have tried before. Each week, they are learning how to prepare dishes such as veggie burgers, pesto, lentil-walnut tacos, creamed vegetable soups, veggie pita pizzas, bliss balls, and chocolate-avocado pudding. Often, classes begin with an “Ewwwww”

VeggieFun for Christchurch KidsBibi Corr

Eating nutrient-rich food has had a profound impact on my health, energy and appearance. Fresh fruits and vegetables taste delicious and unlock a realm of creativity that can’t be achieved by tearing open a package. I know that I can use my history to improve other people’s futures.

By replacing food fears and resistance with ownership and positive peer pressure, children are now being empowered to expand their horizons while at the same time improving their nutritional status and knowledge.

VeggieFun was recently featured in The Press and on Stuff.co.nz www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/eat-and-drink/75691165/Woman-who-lost-52-kilograms-takes-healthy-cooking-classes-for-youth

Bibi in 2001 before her transition

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Want to know more? You can ‘Like’ the VeggieFun Facebook page www.facebook.com/NZveggiefun or check out the website at http://www.VeggieFun.co.nz.

Bibi’s Basil Hummus

What you need:

• Food processor or Blender• Knife• Chopping board• Tin opener• Measuring cup and spoons

Ingredients (Approx 4 servings)

• Chickpeas (1 tin, approx. 14 oz), rinsed and drained• 1 small Garlic clove, peeled and chopped• ¼ cup Basil leaves, torn into little pieces• 1-2 Tbsp Lemon juice• 2 Tbsp Tamari (can substitute for Soy sauce)• 2-3 tsp Tahini (can substitute for 1 Tbsp Olive oil)• Salt and pepper to taste• Filtered water, if required

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients except for the salt and pepper, and water, into the food processor and process on high until the mix comes together.

2. You will need to pause the processor to scrape the mix from the sides a couple of times (depending on your mixer). The consistency should be creamy. If it’s too dry, you can add a little bit of filtered water. (I recommend 1 Tbsp at a time, between mixes, so it doesn’t turn too watery.)

3. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and enjoy!

Hummus makes a wonderful, healthy sandwich spread, salad or noodle topping, or can be used as a dip for veggie sticks and crackers. There are plenty in the stores, but you can enjoy making your own, healthier and better!

posters

print

placee: bill@profileplus.co.nz

- FOR SALE -Well established Tauranga Organic,

Vegetarian Wholefood Shop and Cafe

• A history of over 20 years in Organics.• Huge dedicated client base & 18 staff.• Large premises located in high profile main road in Tauranga.• Experiencing huge growth in all areas.• Wild Herbs Natural Health & Herbal Dispensary, and Therapy Centre next door to shop, also for sale.• Only serious enquiries please. Further information and price available on application.

Contact Rachel or Jan onInfo@wildearthorganics.co.nz or 07 578 7311

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some and gave us a compliment about the creativity of our non-vegan treats. In fact, a couple of the other vegans also complimented us about the same thing and I could tell they were gutted they weren’t available in a vegan version. He encouraged me to give vegan baking another go but to give it the same amount of creativity as the non-vegan options.

The Force of VeganismRemember how I said I had one vegan

friend? She now lives overseas and was back in the country for a holiday. She visited us and gave me some vegan cookie butter from Canada; it was and still is one of the best spreads I’ve ever tasted. I couldn’t wait to experiment with it and I knew the perfect date to use it… Star Wars Day, 4th of May. I made some hollow chocolate balls and stuffed them with cookie butter, enclosed it and made some prints for it to look like the Death Star. I posted on the page and people came in hordes. We had to keep making more during the day as they kept selling out. I had never seen such happy faces at the shop. We started asking them what other treats they wanted to see, and it was unanimous… they just wanted to be able to have options and eat whatever other people could minus the animal products.

We started making vegan chocolate cupcakes and made sure our cabinet was stocked with bliss balls.

Community powerDue to a stressful time in my life, I failed

one of my thyroid blood tests. This meant that if it wasn’t back to normal in a month,

I could be looking at another radiation treatment or worse… surgery. Having met so many lovely vegans, I reached out to the community and told them I was interested in veganism. Everyone was so helpful, they gave me links to helpful sites such as the Vegan Society, 7-day food plans and made themselves available for any questions I had. Of course, I also had to remove myself from the stressful situation, so I made some big changes and moved Sweet Release to a different location.

While in the process of moving the shop, as well as transitioning to the vegan diet, I discovered how challenging it was to find good vegan food for sale. In came the vegan community again and made sure I was armed with knowledge and a friend called Claire even provided me a whole week’s worth of vegan lunches, so it was one stress off my plate. The love from the community and the hardship of finding vegan food to eat out inspired me to experiment with vegan cooking and baking for the shop.

So many optionsAs our vegan food options increased,

it just made sense to become a fully vegetarian and vegan shop. When we re-opened for 2016, we did just this and stopped having meat onsite. Our non-vegan customers have been enjoying the vegan options available too; some can’t even tell they’re vegan and that’s one of our goals… to remove the stigma that vegan food is boring because it really isn’t. There’s so much to explore. We have

“But bacon!” Argh! Those two words will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life. Not in the way it does to every vegan that is/has been discriminated against but it reminds me of my attitude towards veganism before I had met other vegans.

Growing up, I didn’t have any vegan friends. It was only a few years ago that I had a vegan friend and even then, I was still making comments like, “But bacon” with a smirk on my face whenever someone mentioned they were vegetarian or trying veganism. (Shudder) I really despise those two words!

Before veganismI have Graves disease and things got

so bad that I had to undergo radiation treatment to deal with my out-of-control thyroid gland, resulting in several lonely weeks in isolation. I’ll be on meds for the rest of my life and am still taking quarterly blood tests to make sure that my thyroid levels are behaving the way they should be. During the bad times, I found solace in baking and started my own baking company called Sweet Release.

A customer once visited the shop asking for vegan baking. I told him that we tried but they just weren’t selling, so we stopped. He encouraged us to try again and to post on a page for Wellington Vegans. We made some bliss balls (to me, this was the first and only vegan option I could think of, it makes me cringe at the unoriginality of it these days) and posted on the page. A few vegans came to buy and I couldn’t wait to show this guy that we had given it a go. He purchased

Kristine Bartlett

Sweet Release into Health

Chili cheese pies

Banoffie pies Sweet Release menu

19

vegan milkshakes, donuts, banoffie pies, treats, cakes, savoury pies, nachos and toasted sandwiches with vegan cheese! This is only the beginning as we are continually experimenting and growing our vegan options. We have veganised a lot of our non-vegan options and we now only provide a few non-vegan items. One day, we may get to the stage of becoming a fully vegan shop.

Better and betterMy blood tests have since come back to

normal… twice! Veganism may not work for everyone’s health issues but it has for me. I am so grateful that there’s a great vegan community in Wellington. At the shop we now have an array of vegan cookbooks available to borrow, we host vegan bake clubs and we have created a Transitioning Wellington Vegans Facebook group to facilitate a welcoming and supporting group of people transitioning together. It’s the least I could do.

So the next time you see someone say “But bacon” and it upsets you, don’t let it get to you. You never know how much you can change someone’s life just by sharing your knowledge about veganism. Dark Ghana brownies

Snickers-inspired donut muffin

Be in to win a vegan hamper

worth $200

Design our next

T-shirt!

Designs due April 30thRegister or enquire now Amanda@vegansociety.org.nz

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Back to the Future!The fictional, rhetorical Dr. Emmett

Brown posed a good question. “The way I see it, if you’re gonna [celebrate Back to the Future day and be in the Southland Santa Parade], why not do it with some style?” Whoa, thought activists from The Vegan Kiwi and Invercargill Vegan Society. He’s really onto something!

Barring the use of time travel, Back to

INVSOCJordan Wyatt

the Future Day was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for animal rights activism. October 21, 2015, the future destination date from the film Back to the Future II, where they journeyed from 1985 into the world of tomorrow. As October 2015 drew to an end, vegans sadly went without flying cars, holographic Jaws movies, and self-drying clothes. But with The Vegan Kiwi’s DeLorean and shocking pink hoverboard, we took over the streets of Invercargill. Pop culture propaganda posters graced the southern settlement: “’Brighten the Future’ for animals in need”. Our respective organisations were named in flaming time machine tracks - trail blazers - as the DeLorean rocketed towards a kinder world.

Back to the Future Day saw The Vegan Kiwi make several national media appearances with a stainless steel sports car. The Southland Times ran an opinion piece about supporting animal rights to improve the world.

“As animal lovers, vegans wish to avoid hurting animals. In the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the choices we make, we simply skip things which involve animal cruelty. Living in the future, it’s only getting easier and easier to live vegan

for the animals. Taking inspiration from Back to the Future, we can all choose to “brighten the future” for animals in need.

“We don’t need a time machine to change the world. As Huey Lewis and the News sang: ‘It don’t take money, don’t take fame. Don’t need no credit card to ride this train.’

“We all have compassion for animals. We can all help animals in need, today. With our actions, we can choose to live in a way respectful and considerate for animals. As vegans, we can all work for a brighter future for our animal friends. ‘That’s the power of love.’”

Even the New Zealand police force got in on the act! The Vegan Kiwi posed for a police photo: the cops pretending to have arrested the Christchurch ‘boy racers’ for doing 88 miles per hour. The Southland Express ran a classic car column on the 1983 DeLorean DMC12. This article mentioned the upcoming entry of the car in November’s Southland Santa Parade, and set a precedent: the first use of a classic car section to promote animal liberation?

Want more details? See www.invsoc.org.nz/oct212015Brighten the Future poster

Jono of The Vegan Kiwi and his dramatic “arrest” for doing 88mph!

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The Southland Santa Parade is co-spon-sored by a large slaughterhouse chain! This made things particularly interesting for the vegan entry, with Miranda and Jono from The Vegan Kiwi, Jordan, Jen and Jo from the Invercargill Vegan Society. Breaking up all the Southern vegans with names beginning with J, Vegan Society NZ volunteer Carla Beardshaw flew down from Auckland for the Southland Santa Parade.

Doing a lap of the Invercargill central business district, over 20,000 people - nearly half the city’s population - were in attendance. Our animal rights time machine was well received, with people cheering and whooping for the DeLorean. Many an impressionable child was told the pink hoverboard “really works!” and all were wished a “Merry Vegan Christmas”.

While the slaughterhouse company had a Winnie the Pooh themed entry, and a butcher shop had little children dressed like pigs, our vegan ‘Brighten the Future’ theme proved the crowd favourite. We were encouraged to keep standing up for what we believe in, and the message of rights and respect for our animal friends resonated strongly.

For full details and the Southland Santa Parade video online, see www.invsoc.org.nz/santa2015/

“Merry Vegan Christmas”, the Southland Santa Parade

INVSOC on parade, with Jo, Jenny and the DeLorean

The classic DeLorean pose

Jordan Wyatt with the vegan hoverboard!

Jono and Miranda of The Vegan Kiwi, and Jenny from INVSOC

22

claims and counterclaims put forth by the meat industry and its opponents. “Meat Market is an important work for anyone interested in learning about what really happens to animals, the effect on our society, and what can be done to help eliminate the suffering.” - all-creatures.org

Thanks again to Jeff!

Jeff Masson’s Great Book Giveaway!The Vegan Society continues to share

in this bounty of great books that Jeff Masson donated to us. In this issue, we are offering two books!

One lucky winner will get Jeff Masson’s copy of Saving Emily, by Nicholas Read. This sensitively written novel for young readers about life on a modern farm skilfully interweaves the animal

perspective of a cow named Emily and the human viewpoint of a twelve-year-old boy named Chris. "a gripping adventure story...and a heart-tugging plea for compassion for every kind of living creature" - vegsource.com.

The other will get Jeff Masson’s copy of Meat Market by Erik Marcus. Erik Marcus exposes and clears away the exaggerated

Enter to win by 30 April 2016 (or today, before you forget)

1. For Saving Emily email amanda@vegansociety.co.nz with the subject line “Emily book” and your postal address.

2. For Meat Market email amanda@vegansociety.co.nz with the subject line “Meat book” and your postal address.

Open to Vegan Society members only.

GIVEAWAy!

Vegan Sour Cream!Angel Food’s new dairy-free sour cream

alternative has been in development for almost a year, but the wait was worth it!

It’s the perfect topping for nachos, a delicious base for dips, and ideal for swirling into a bowl of pumpkin soup.

And with Angel Food’s ever-increasing list of stockists, it should be widely available soon.

“We’ve got more than 200 stockists for our mozzarella alternative around New Zealand,” says Angel Food CEO Alice Shopland. “Supermarkets are recognising the demand for dairy-free and vegan products, and they’re making space for us in the chiller.”

The ingredients of the sour cream alternative are: water, sunflower oil, thickeners (corn flour, guar gum, xanthan), coconut oil, sunflower seeds, natural flavour, sugar, salt, citric acid.

The company is also launching a smoky version of its very popular coconut-flour-based parmesan alternative.

For more information, visit www.angelfood.co.nz or phone 09 3764623.

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The Vegan Z PieClaire Insley and Gemma McLeod

CI: How long have you been vegan and what turned you vegan?

GM: I'd been vegetarian for years, so my transition to veganism seemed natural. It felt hypocritical that I was so passionate about animal welfare yet was still contributing to industries that only brought harm to them. My interest in veganism was sparked when I was discharged from hospital and was in shaky medical condition. Eating a whole-food, plant-based diet struck me as something that potentially could be a huge aid in my healing process.

Dairy went out and lots of fresh produce came in! Daily smoothies, lots of organic greens and plant-based protein sources made all the difference to my health, both physical and mental. This is also why I started writing my blog - to share all of the wonderful things I'd learnt and to share recipes that I love.

CI: How did you hear about the Z pies contest and what made you enter it?

GM: I believe I stumbled upon it when I heard other vegans talking about it - it seemed like a fun thing to do, and of course, I'm all for getting veganism into the mainstream!

CI: How did you come up with the winning recipe?

GM: I'd like to think I'm fairly good with pairing flavours together - that's the basis of

every recipe I come up with. I tend to start with two or three main ingredients, and then figure out which vegetables, spices and other plant-based ingredients will work well with them.

CI: What did you think or do when you found out you'd won?

GM: I remember thinking “Whoa! That was unexpected.” But I also didn't have any idea about the kind of media attention that it would stir, so that was perhaps the more overwhelming part!

CI: How did you feel when you heard about the E920?

GM: I had never actually seen the ingredient list for the pastry, as the development of that had little to do with me. Z called me in a bit of a panic one morning telling me that they had made a mistake, but they were clearly determined to fix it. It was a learning curve for me – I don't eat processed foods in general, so I've never really had the need to learn about E numbers.

CI: Did you feel let down by Z?GM: Not at all. I think they were brave to

make a statement about it. Donating the remainder of the pies containing E920 to charity was great too. I think that the E920 being found in the pastry was actually a great thing – it got enough coverage that I had the chance to talk to John Campbell on his live stream about it. It really forces people to think about what is in their food. If

poultry feathers managed to find their way into a vegan product, goodness knows what is in the non-vegan ones! Z has expressed that they are now even looking into whether E numbers in their meat pies are necessary.

CI: What are your hopes or plans for the pie’s future?

GM:It would be wonderful if Z continued to manufacture them - that is about the only thing that I am hoping happens! But now that Z has seen just how much of a demand for vegan options there is, another high hope I have is that they will introduce more.

CI: Do you think they'll carry on making them?

GM: With such an overwhelming response to the pies (selling 1000 per day, more than any of their other pies by a long shot), it would seem a bad move to take them away.

CI: Do you have anything else you'd like to say?

GM: Just a huge thank you to Z, everyone who voted, bought pies and otherwise made this happen! If you'd like to keep up with what other food ventures I'm up to, you can find me on Instagram and Facebook (both @recoveringraw) and on my blog at www.recoveringraw.com.

And the happy ending is, of course, that Z have confirmed that this pie will become a permanent feature at Z stations!

Big news from 2015 included a runaway victory for vegans in Z’s Pie Contest on Facebook. Almost all the top pies were vegan! Z chose Gemma McLeod’s Mexican Vegan Pie to sell in their stores from late January 2016, and the response from the vegan community was overwhelming. Claire Insley from the Vegan Society spoke to Gemma for more details.

Winning pie sign in Z station window

The pie! Photo by Jordan Wyatt, INVSOC

24

I have been searching for fresh, natural, affordable toothpaste for quite some time. Red Seal make 8 different types of toothpaste and care for the entire family. My current favourite is ‘Smokers’ (even though I am a non-smoker), which is excellent for fresh breath and added teeth whitening! RRP $3.60 from leading supermarkets, or online www.redseal.co.nz

Crystal has been making vegan deodorant for over 30 years. Their range is widely known for being hypoallergenic with no aluminium. Not only do they make men’s and women’s scented sticks, they have now launched a line called Crystal Essence in sprays and roll-on. Scents include lavender & white tea, camomile & green tea, vanilla jasmine and pomegranate. Starting from RRP $13.99 available from Hardy’s, selected pharmacies and health stores.

The founder of Eco Tan, Sonya, created vegan products after her sister was diagnosed with melanoma. Still aiming to look bronzed in summer, but wanting to avoid harmful UV rays,

she looked for natural ingredients. Eco Tan have a huge range of full body and face bronzers, gradual tanners, natural sunscreens and body care products. Use their Pink

Himalayan Salt Scrub & Coconut Body Milk combo to fade stretch marks, reduce redness in acne scarring and remove infection, rehydrate your skin and soothe irritations. Online

results show just how amazing these products are! RRP Scrub $39.95 each available from www.beautifullykind.co.nz, Hardy’s Heath Stores, selected pharmacies or www.ecotan.co.nz

Failed to look after your lips during summer? Are they dry, rough and peeling? Never fear, LUSH has fantastic vegan lip scrubs to the rescue. Made with exfoliating castor sugar to soften and buff away any dead skin. Your chapped lips will be transformed into moisturised, kissable lips. Pucker up with some fun flavours, bubblegum being my top pick for autumn. RRP $11.50 Available in store at nationwide LUSH retailers, or online from www.lushnz.com

New make-up brand on my radar.... ROVIE Cosmetics made right here in Kaikoura! With beautiful 100% cruelty free cosmetics in shades that one can only dream of. I have picked three hot colours for autumn in their loose eye shadow range. From left to right: Temptation, Coco-lime and Poprocks. These exquisite powders can also be applied with a wet brush, for maximum colour and shine. RRP $10 each from www.rovie.co.nz

o.nz

If you love to dye your hair and experiment with fun colours then Manic Panic is the brand for you. They have over 40 hot colours to choose from; all are made from 100% vegan formulations and do not contain parabens. Their range includes semi-permanent, temporary dyes, bleach kits and much more. Check out their make-up range which includes eyes, lips, face and nails. Classic crème hair dyes RRP for $29.95 available from Cosmic stores (Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch & Auckland) or buy online from www.cosmicnz.co.nz

25

I have been searching for fresh, natural, affordable toothpaste for quite some time. Red Seal make 8 different types of toothpaste and care for the entire family. My current favourite is ‘Smokers’ (even though I am a non-smoker), which is excellent for fresh breath and added teeth whitening! RRP $3.60 from leading supermarkets, or online www.redseal.co.nz

Crystal has been making vegan deodorant for over 30 years. Their range is widely known for being hypoallergenic with no aluminium. Not only do they make men’s and women’s scented sticks, they have now launched a line called Crystal Essence in sprays and roll-on. Scents include lavender & white tea, camomile & green tea, vanilla jasmine and pomegranate. Starting from RRP $13.99 available from Hardy’s, selected pharmacies and health stores.

The founder of Eco Tan, Sonya, created vegan products after her sister was diagnosed with melanoma. Still aiming to look bronzed in summer, but wanting to avoid harmful UV rays,

she looked for natural ingredients. Eco Tan have a huge range of full body and face bronzers, gradual tanners, natural sunscreens and body care products. Use their Pink

Himalayan Salt Scrub & Coconut Body Milk combo to fade stretch marks, reduce redness in acne scarring and remove infection, rehydrate your skin and soothe irritations. Online

results show just how amazing these products are! RRP Scrub $39.95 each available from www.beautifullykind.co.nz, Hardy’s Heath Stores, selected pharmacies or www.ecotan.co.nz

Failed to look after your lips during summer? Are they dry, rough and peeling? Never fear, LUSH has fantastic vegan lip scrubs to the rescue. Made with exfoliating castor sugar to soften and buff away any dead skin. Your chapped lips will be transformed into moisturised, kissable lips. Pucker up with some fun flavours, bubblegum being my top pick for autumn. RRP $11.50 Available in store at nationwide LUSH retailers, or online from www.lushnz.com

New make-up brand on my radar.... ROVIE Cosmetics made right here in Kaikoura! With beautiful 100% cruelty free cosmetics in shades that one can only dream of. I have picked three hot colours for autumn in their loose eye shadow range. From left to right: Temptation, Coco-lime and Poprocks. These exquisite powders can also be applied with a wet brush, for maximum colour and shine. RRP $10 each from www.rovie.co.nz

o.nz

If you love to dye your hair and experiment with fun colours then Manic Panic is the brand for you. They have over 40 hot colours to choose from; all are made from 100% vegan formulations and do not contain parabens. Their range includes semi-permanent, temporary dyes, bleach kits and much more. Check out their make-up range which includes eyes, lips, face and nails. Classic crème hair dyes RRP for $29.95 available from Cosmic stores (Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch & Auckland) or buy online from www.cosmicnz.co.nz

SANTE is currently sold at The Cruelty Free Shop in Auckland. The brand is dominating the German markets, yet rarer here in New Zealand. So jump on board, just like New Zealand’s Eco Fashion Week has for the previous two years. All models wore SANTE make-up, and now I know why. This brand has a ‘strictly no chemicals’ policy. Their products are never tested on animals, they are gluten-free and offer pure vegan ranges.

I tried this brand only recently, when I was drawn in by their promising eye products. I love long, thick and dramatic lashes so the mascara really caught my eye! (no pun intended) They also have an exciting range of liquid eye liners and lash growth serums... I was sold. But are they any good?

The liquid eyeliner has the most precise brush in any of the brands I have tried to date. Wow, I’m impressed by the rich and intense formulation, the brush that creates wing flicks so sharp they could cut diamonds, and the added benefit of a lash growth serum. Need I say more? SANTE Lash Extension Eyeliner is available in Black or Blue and is a must buy. 5 out of 5 stars

Next up is the Volume Mascara, available in classic black or brown. Lately I have found mascara wands to be reaching architectural heights. They look like something from a sci-fi movie and come with the promise of more definition, length and volume. But the SANTE mascara wand is simple, and I like it. this classic brush for reaching right to the roots to create length and volume. Best of all, its very easy to remove, and I don’t wake up the next day with black smudges under my eyes. This mascara’s only downside is that it isn’t waterproof... yet. I am sure we will see a greater hybrid soon enough. 4 out of 5 stars Enter below to win the SANTE Mascara Volume in black!

Georgette uses her beauty

queen platform to promote a vegan

lifestyle. She loves blogging about

cruelty free and vegan beauty

products; she is also the

ambassador for the SAFE

Shopper APP.

Georgette Jackson - Miss Grand International New Zealand

Honourable mentions in their make-up line go to the Kajal Eyeliners, bold and bright, in all colours of the rainbow. I also loved the texture of their Soft Cream Foundation. Very light on the skin and wonderful for blending, this base wears well during the day and gives you a natural glow without looking too heavy. All palette lovers should try the SANTE Eyeshadow Trios (only numbers 4, 5 & 6 are currently vegan). My favourite is definitely the green based trio, number 4, with subtle gold and brown for ultimate coordination. And leaving the best for last is their B12 Tooth Gel –Fluoride Free. Great tasting toothpaste with added B12, especially made for vegans.

Overall I am extremely impressed with SANTE and their well thought out ranges. Try them today! Available online from www.saveyourskin.co.nz

Giveaway! Enter to win by 30 April (or today before you forget)

1. For SANTE Family Shampoo with Organic Apple & Quince scent, email amanda@vegansociety.co.nz with the subject line “Sante Family Shampoo” and your postal address.

2. For SANTE Mascara Volume No .02 in Black, email amanda@vegansociety.co.nz with the subject line “Sante Mascara Volume” and your postal address.

*Open to Vegan Society members only.

SANTE ReviewGeorgette Jackson

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Meal Kit Delivery Servicethekaibox.co.nz

We Create

We Deliver

You Cook

Vegan

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www.vegansociety.printmighty.co.nz

Show your support in one of our funky tees!

Hectors Restarant - The first hotel restaurant in New Zealand to be approved by the NZ Vegetarian Society. 35 Hobson Street Auckland +64 9 979 7434 www.heritagehotels.co.nz

Hectors Restaurant at Heritage Auckland is now offering a plant-based high tea, daily from 12pm - 3pm.

HAK

L509

$40 per person.

Plant-based high tea now available.

The Vegan Society of New Zealand aims to raise the profile of veganism, as well as support new and existing vegans. We facilitate a vegan lifetsyle and plant-based eating by creating a vibrant, visible, and influential community, and by providing information and resources.

We offer individual and business memberships. Go to our webpage www.vegansociety.co.nz and choose Support Us to join today!

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