Night market glows golden

Wanganui artist Tracey Young says it's the "golden stuff" that will be on sale at the Families in Business Night Market in Majestic Square tomorrow night with help from the city's creative community.

Ms Young, who works for Wanganui Plunket, teaches a programme called Golden Parenting for Parents.

She says the "golden stuff" is created when the parents and children sit side-by-side and make their crafts. This was also a time for story-telling, she said.

"A lot of parents that come into the programme are arty and running their own small businesses."

About four of these families will offer their crafts as affordable and unique Christmas presents at the market. Kimberley Sills will be selling her personalised morse-code necklaces and Gwen Pardoe, her origami.

She said Plunket supported families in new ways, and the Night Market was a way to support Wanganui Plunket and its families.

The golden parenting group is a multicultural mix of ethnicities from around the world, including families from China, Japan, Peru, Indonesia, Australia, Maori and Pakeha.

Ms Young will be selling her muka dolls at the Night Market and says she lived for five years in Vienna and has reinvented the muka (flax fibre) dolls from the Steiner European corn dolls.

She is also in her second year of a weaving/raranga course, and creating the muka dolls was a way to use the left-over pieces from weaving her kete. The dolls wear clothing made from antique fibres and fabrics and some dolls are made from harakeke paper.

Plunket has organised a competition for people to attempt to correctly install a child's car seat to win a six-month car seat hire. The gold coin entry donation will go to Plunket.

As well as the home crafts, "some amazing donations" have been given for the market and there will be a sausage sizzle, cake stall, bouncy castle and face painting.

To book a stall, contact Wanganui District Council, Plunket Rooms or the Visitor Centre i-SITE. For more information contact Jo Ockey at jo.ockey@plunket.org.nz or mobile: 02102448596.