Onerahi's Market of the Common Good off to a flying start

Sasha Kilgour, 7, Robyn Blank, 8, and Siobhan Bowling, 7, learn the art of hoola hooping with Circus Kumarani's Tania Whetū. Photos / Jodi Bryant

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Paul Doherty with longtime church member Dorothy Rowlands and Kye Hiko, 8, and Finlay Blank, 6, in the cargo bike.

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Laura Walsh-Fisher ran the popular wood pizza oven at Onerahi's Market of the Common Good.

It was yesterday once more for the Onerahi community with the successful launch of the Market of the Common Good on Saturday.

St Stephen's Anglican Church administrator and deacon Paul Doherty wanted to recreate the once-popular gala days formerly held at the church, as a way of bringing the community together, supporting local businesses while raising funds for the church.

"A delight was to see so many people connecting or reconnecting and also so much inter-generational engagement," he said.

Longtime church member Dorothy Rowlands, 92, was thrilled with the comeback of what started off as a flower show, before evolving into the gala day for many years and eventually fizzling out.

Laura Walsh-Fisher ran the popular wood pizza oven at Onerahi's Market of the Common Good.

"It brings people together. I met people here today that I haven't seen for ages," she said from her post at one of the stalls.

As well as art and crafts and bric-a-brac stalls, the event included a show by Circus Kumarani with workshops for kids, live music, a line-dancing demonstration, a healing centre with foot and cranial massage and healing prayer, sign-language classes, Whare Bike workshops, sites from Zero Waste and NorthTec's pest operations and a "Kai Kourt" of food offerings - the church's Heavenly wood-fired pizzas proved popular.

More than 250 people attended and some members of the community were disappointed to have missed the event after not realising it was taking place. Organisers said they will extend advertising in future, as well as adding to the favoured craft and baked goods stalls.

Priest Jenny Blasingame said the Market of the Common Good was a huge success.

"It was a beautiful sunny day, families gathered to share pizzas or vegan cuisine in an idyllic setting, entertained by delightful music and circus antics. I watched Paul [Doherty] and Chris make countless trips around the church giving cargo bike rides to excited children who would get out and go to the back of the queue for another turn immediately. A few people enjoyed the maara kai [Maara Kai o Wai-a-Ariki Onerahirahi Food Forest] across the road. It was nice to see people strolling through the gardens.

"I have also developed huge empathy for baristas - it's a tough job," she said after spending the day serving drinks.

Paul Doherty with longtime church member Dorothy Rowlands and Kye Hiko, 8, and Finlay Blank, 6, in the cargo bike.

Organisers were happy with the feedback they received and are looking at holding the event quarterly and potentially reintroducing the floral arrangement competitions.

Said Doherty: "Our Market of the Common Good lived up to its name and contributed towards a more resilient, and more connected community - and one that possibly will have a lighter footprint on our beautiful planet."

He said a "delightful" discovery afterwards was the almost zero-waste: "Less than half a bin of non-compostable non-recycleable rubbish with all those people and all that food".

Added Blasingame: "Everyone wanted to know when the next one would be. They loved it. The kids had a blast and families stayed and chatted - it was such a lovely day for the community."