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9 December, 2021
Takapuna market gives up on rest of year
The popular Takapuna Sunday market will not be back this year.
Co-organiser Trish Keith said the market was too large to operate under the red level of the traffic-light system, which allows outdoor gatherings of up to 100 people.
Thousands stream into the Anzac St car park for the market through multiple entry points, making vaccine pass compliance unviable.
“The only thing red has given us is clarity that we can’t open,” Keith said.
The market is looking towards relaunching in green, but hoping for a relaxing of the vaccine-pass requirements.
A lot of the smaller markets had been able to open, but they only have one or two entrances where people can be scanned in, Keith said. “We can never do that.”
The market was started more than 30 years ago by Bill Jenner, who launched it as a flea market at Shore City. Keith and her husband joined in partnership with Jenner and his wife, Ess, a couple of years later. About seven years ago, Trish and Ess lost their husbands and took over running it. It now has around 300 stallholders. “It’s just a happy place. We never have any trouble there.”
Recent times had been frustrating “to put it mildly” and hard for stallholders, Keith said. “For a lot of them it’s their livelihood.” The car park is owned by Panuku, Auckland Council’s development arm, which has plans to develop part of it in conjunction with building a new town square. No date has been set for work to start but it is due to commence in early 2022.
The car park would remain open until then, a Panuku spokesperson said. “We continue to have a commercial agreement with Trish Keith to operate a market on the Anzac car park site.” A new temporary layout was being worked out with her for 2022, at the Anzac St end of the site. “We know how important the Takapuna Sunday Market is to the vibrancy of the town centre and we want this to continue.”
The market has been offered 125 spaces when work gets underway. Keith said they had not yet signed the lease but they were happy with it. “It is good that we have been offered some space. At least it keeps us in Takapuna. It’s an icon for Takapuna.”
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