It’s seven years since iconic Weekly food editor Tui Flower passed away, but her protégé and close friend Robyn Martin can still hear her mentor’s voice loud and clear, giving instructions about her legacy.
“For many years before she died, she would say, ‘Now, Robyn. You know what I want, don’t you?’ And I’d always say, ‘Yes, Tui, I know,’” recalls Robyn. “I can still hear her now. It’s like she’s sitting on my shoulder.”
What Tui wanted was for money from her estate to go towards supporting what she called the “household arts” – cooking, nutrition, sewing, budgeting and growing food. After her death and she asked Robyn to help make that dream come true.
Robyn followed in Tui’s footsteps to become food editor at the Weekly. She’s one of the advisory trustees of the Tui Flower Foundation and is delighted to be playing her part in carrying out her mentor’s wishes.

“The foundation provides funding for community-run projects throughout New Zealand whose work supports the healthy functioning of the home and family,” explains Robyn. “Being able to do this meant a lot to Tui.”
Tui, who died in 2017, aged 91, taught several generations of Kiwis to cook. As the food editor of the Weekly from 1965 to 1984, she helped Kiwis whip up delicious and nutritious meals. She even introduced us to garlic.
A no-nonsense and forthright woman, Tui despaired that so many skills her generation mastered as part of everyday life seemed to be dying out.
“It’s not just cooking, it’s things like sewing. People don’t know how to sew on buttons or mend clothes any more,” says Robyn.

Tui understood that as society changed and women went from being full-time homemakers to working outside the home, it was inevitable that they’d make the most of time-saving options, like ready-meals or takeaways. But she was horrified that in the 21st century, many people aren’t making meals from scratch or mending clothing. Not because they don’t have time, but because they don’t actually know how to.
“They don’t have the choice because there are so many things they’ve never learned to do,” says Robyn. “And there are consequences. For example, you’re less likely to eat healthily if you’re buying processed meals rather than making them yourself.”
Tui’s foundation first started giving out grants in 2022. Robyn is one of four people responsible for choosing recipients, which have included trusts and other organisations that hold cooking, sewing, parenting and budgeting classes, like Rongopai House Community Trust and The House of Grace Trust.
“There have been some groups who’ve come forward that we haven’t known about, who are doing wonderful things,” enthuses Robyn. “It’s nice to see the money going to people who are making a difference. Even if it’s a small difference, it all has an impact.

“Tui very much has a presence in the decisions we make. Her spirit is strong!”
In life, Tui was certainly a strong presence. A former high school cooking teacher and home economist for a food manufacturer, she became a household name as the food editor of the Weekly.
Robyn was just 17 when she went to work as an assistant for Tui. After a year, she left to do a home science degree at the University of Otago, like Tui had. Then, she went back to work for her mentor again as a home economist.
“At first, I looked on Tui as my grandmother. Probably because she was very matronly and she had a bun,” reflects Robyn. “Then I realised she was actually younger than my mother.
“A lot of people found her quite formidable, but I didn’t think of her like that. If you had a problem, you could always go and chat to her. We had a lovely relationship.”

The pair remained firm friends when Robyn went on to do other things, including getting a Master’s degree in home economics from a US university. Then when Tui decided to retire from the Weekly in 1984, she approached Robyn to take over her job. Robyn was the food editor for 22 years and also wrote dozens of cookbooks.
Robyn thinks the foundation is a fitting legacy for her friend, who didn’t marry until she was in her fifties and had no children.
“Through the Weekly, she had a huge impact on people for many years. She’s still helping after she’s passed, and I think that’s wonderful.”
For details about how to apply for a grant from the Tui Flower Foundation, which is managed by Perpetual Guardian, visit perpetualguardian.co.nz/philanthropy/grant-seekers.