Rangitīkei District Council steps in to save Marton Market Day after organisers fold

Marton Market Day will survive after the council stepped in to take over organising the evening. Photo / File

Rangitīkei District Council is taking over the operation of the popular Marton Market Day after the group that organised the event folded last month.

Project Marton officially disbanded at the end of June, citing a lack of volunteers and the decreasing availability of funding.

The organisation had been in operation for 25 years, putting together events such as the Marton Harvest Festival and Marton Market Day.

Following the demise of the group, the council has stepped in to take up the reins of organising the 2021 market.

In a statement posted on its website, the council said it recognised the event's significance to the community and was committed to keeping it alive.

Rangitīkei mayor Andy Watson said the event was too significant to the Marton economy to simply let it fold.

"This event brings in tens of thousands [of dollars] for our district. It's significant," Watson said.

But Watson said he hoped the council's leadership of the event would be short-lived, with a new organisation to replace Project Marton currently in the pipeline.

"If the new organisation can get themselves embedded in time, they may well be part of that. But that's a discussion on the table for the future.

"The message is, we're not setting out to do a takeover here, these events are delivered by the community with council support. It needs to be a partnership."

Rangitīkei mayor Andy Watson says the council's involvement is only short-term while a new organisation to replace Project Marton is established. Photo / File

Watson said the new group currently in the works was looking to be a strong replacement for Project Marton.

"It looks incredibly promising. We have a list of new people who want to be involved, and they have a history of providing events in our district.

"There are some people who have been associated with Project Marton still wanting to be part of it too."

The Marton Market Day is one of the biggest single economic injections to the Marton economy each year, with more than 200 stallholders making it one of the largest markets in the country.

Typically held shortly before Christmas, the event attracts locals and those travelling from outside of the region to put up stalls, with almost all of Marton Park and Follett St taken up by stallholders.

Applications to hold a stall at this year's event on November 27 can be made by visiting www.martonnz.com.