“Kuti Morokun is not just a business,” says Ngarindjerri Elder, Uncle Derek Walker.
“Here on Sea Country, harvesting pipis, or Kuti as they are known in Ngarindjerri language, has been a protein source for millennia. Our aspiration has always been to continue our ways of harvesting Kuti and fish and be involved in a commercial business that provides a number of opportunities.”
The Ngarindjerri people are the Traditional Custodians of the coastal Coorong region, two hours south-east of Adelaide.
“We have songs about Kuti and a dance about it, and there are a whole range of connections and creation stories that indicate how things came about,” Uncle Derek explains.
“Because Kuti have always been a protein source that carries a lot of cultural meaning, it was important to us to be involved in a commercial business around harvesting and selling Kuti and be in a position where we could employ some young people on the beach and in the factory, but historically we were locked out of the industry.”
Kuti Morokun is an evolution of Kuti Co, a fishing enterprise owned by Ngarrindjeri people. With support from financial grants and loans over time, Kuti Co acquired a commercial pipi quota, a fishing license, operational assets and a major stake in Goolwa Pipi Co, Australia’s largest pipi processing and marketing company.
Kuti Morokun will further strengthen the interests of the local Ngarrindjeri people in the pipi industry through direct ownership in the harvesting business.
Deeply connected to culture, with a focus on respecting traditional knowledge and practices related to sustainable harvesting, the company is designed to bring substantial lasting benefits to the local community, with the harvesters and Kuti staff owning the harvesting business.
A $300,000 investment from Wyatt’s Catalytic Local Investment Fund (CLIF), enabled Kuti Morokun to invest in the equipment and intellectual property that will see the business transition to being fully employee owned.
“Our absolute focus is community development including training and jobs for our Mob,” says Uncle Derek. “We’ve developed a training process that has been a few years in the making, getting people on the Southern Ocean side of the peninsula and digging and learning the harvesting techniques.
“Our goal is to not only have our young people working in the business but come to be part of the ownership too.”
The five-year loan comes with a five per cent interest rate and a six-month interest-free period.
“This was a unique opportunity to invest in a South Australian First Nations business doing good for both people and planet,” says Wyatt’s Investment Specialist, Gavin Reid.
“The CLIF investment will help catalyse economic empowerment, career opportunities and build generational wealth for Ngarrindjeri people. The work of Kuti Morokon protects the coastal environment through sustainable production, provides opportunities to share cultural knowledge, as well as generating revenue that will be reinvested back into the community.”
Kuti harvesting is done by hand in sync with the tides in the early hours of the morning.
“That could be three or four o’clock in the morning right through the season,” Uncle Derek explains, “and the crew stays out there in the water for however long it takes to get their catch for the day.
“We usually try and stay out of the water in the really big swells, which can be up to three or four metres. Can you imagine being in the water and having a 10-foot wave fly over the top of you?”
Allowing for the big swell and cooler water temperatures that see the Kuti move into deeper waters, harvesting season usually ends in June and begins again in September. But the recent algal bloom impacting South Australia’s coastline has upended the usual timeline.
“We haven’t been in the water since last June,” Uncle Derek explains. “It’s almost been like a death by a thousand cuts, because we thought we were going to be back every week for the last three months.
“Our crew went out for the first time a couple of weeks ago, but unfortunately the brevetoxins were still high, so it didn't go our way. The levels are moving in the right direction though, so hopefully we’ll have the harvest back in full swing soon.”
Uncle Derek says the best part of the entire enterprise is seeing the young people take up the opportunity to be involved.
“Connection to this opportunity for our Mob is what is really important,” he explains.
“Taking care of the environment and harvesting a natural resource in a sustainable way is a cultural requirement in caring for our country. When I see the big smiles on the faces of the crew bringing back bags full of Kuti to the factory for processing the sense of satisfaction never fails to give great joy that’s what it’s all about.”
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This story features in The Wyatt Trust: Perspectives on Investing report.
