Hippopotamus saved as Trade Aid store in Palmerston North closes down

The 440kg wooden hippo was made in Kenya.

The Palmerston North Trade Aid is now officially closing - last trading day is this Saturday. But what of it’s iconic 440kg hippopotamus?

The hippo has represented more than an instore character - his journey embodied the Trade Aid ethical shopping ethos. Like all ethical products, the hippo has a story.

He was carved in Kenya by a Mr. John Ngima, who was 67 at the time and had been carving all his life – a skill learned at a young age from his father.

His family helped produce carved animals at the Nairobi Wood Carvers Co-operative in Kamukunji. Large animals were carved from trunks found in the forest, and could take three people more than a month to complete, some animals taking as long as six months to finish.

Palmerston North businessman John Brundsden purchased the hippo from the Trade Aid store down the road.

Palmerston North business man John Brundsden, himself a volunteer with Trade Aid for 25 years, couldn’t resist and purchased the hippo for $1300.

The hippo now takes pride of place at the entrance to an English teaching college on The Square, where he works.

“It such a whopping great lump the big problem was how to shift it. In the end we got a car jack under his belly and wheeled him down the road,” he said.

Brunsden has challenged other businesses to buy Trade Aid stock. All stock was discounted for the sale, some hand-crafted items by as much as 70%.

The Palmerston North Trade Aid store officially opened in 1977, one of the first of its kind in the country, offering handcrafted, fair trade goods while championing fairness and sustainability in global trade.

Trade Aid’s Brand Manager Brittany Halligan said it was the end of an era - “People joke that we should create a Trade Aid perfume because the shop’s scent is so iconic,” she said.

Much of the store’s success can be attributed to the dedication of its volunteers such as 102-year-old Inez Pearce, who for almost 40 years helped educate customers on the importance of supporting artisans in developing countries and spreading the message of fair trade.

Trade Aid’s mission now is to transition to online sales, although there are worries as customers lose the tactile shopping experience.