Market plan divides Bay traders

The controversial Saturday morning Growers' Market, due to start on November 29, will be a quieter affair than first planned due to a shortage of stallholders.

Many Farmers' Market stallholders are reluctant to support the new market, saying it could harm the established market, held at the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds on the outskirts of Hastings on Sunday mornings.

A Hastings City Business Association initiative, it was hoped the Growers' Market would bring people to the CBD as the association's Thursday night market had.

"We just won't have the 40 or 50 stallholders that we want, there will be about 25 to 30," association chairman Michael Whittaker said.

The Hastings District Council gave permission for the Growers' Market to close two blocks of Heretaunga St East to traffic, but with fewer initial supporters just one block might be needed, Mr Whittaker said.

"We may need to take a medium to long-term view and slowly build it up.

"When people see pricing, it will gain momentum."

As well as fresh produce, the Growers' Market would include a meat company and bakeries.

Hawke's Bay Farmers' Market chairman Mark Verry said the new venture would take a toll on the established Sunday market and, if stallholders to both markets ran out of produce on Saturday, they would "simply not turn up" to the Sunday market.

Black Barn events manager Francis de Jager said the Growers' Market would dilute community resources "by individual organisations pushing their own barrow without the thought, support or dialogue with existing successful Hasting District and Hawke's Bay event stakeholders".

Black Barn has a Saturday morning market in summer.

Farmers' Market stallholder Clyde Potter of Epicurean Supplies said he would not be supporting the Hastings CBD Growers' Market.

"I think it is rather short-sighted of the Hastings District Council and I think if the viability of this market is undermined we stand to lose something for Hawke's Bay."

The Village Press owner Wayne Startup has been at the Farmers' Market for 14 years and said he would not be supporting the Growers' Market with his olive oil.

"One of our biggest customers is New World Hastings and we don't think setting up just down the road from them is a real smart thing," he said.