The Government response to Covid-19 has hit all the markets in Kapiti and some are still closed due to being unable to meet the Alert Level 2 requirements. This is also true for the Waikanae Community Saturday Market in Park Avenue.
But the story was not quite so simple for the Waikanae market as it has been operating for over a decade without the regulatory requirements in place. There are three types: compliance with the Food Act for stallholders selling food, Trading in Public Places policy and a licence to occupy the public land (Reserves Act). Compliance with Covid-19 regulations has added a temporary fourth.
KCDC decided to take advantage of the close down for Covide-19 Alert Levels 4 and 3 to require the market to comply with all the regulations before it could reopen. This is now underway and one of the stallholders, Helen Amey, has stepped up to organise the market as an Incorporated Society to enable that to happen. Stallholders and other members of the commnuity are working with Helen to get it opened as quickly as possible. The aim is for the changes to be minimal so that the market can continue in the form that locals love. Helen says “although this is a painful process to go through, I think most stallholders agree that the market will be a better place once we have the Society up and running and we are compliant with the rules”.
The licence to occupy must be publicised for one month and will be in the papers next week (beginning 1 June). Helen said “If there are no objections to the market occupying this land, then it is possible that we could be open as early as the 4 July, provided that we can meet the Covid-19 alert level requirements then.”
The Waikanae Community Board has provided its full support throughout the process and awarded a grant towards the costs of getting the market open again. Deputy Chair, Jill Griggs has been working with Helen and KCDC staff to help get the market re-established. Jill commented “The Board is disappointed that KCDC did not initiate this process earlier in the Covid lockdown so that the notices could have been published as soon as the papers were back. The market might have been open a couple of weeks earlier if that had happened. Having said that, staff are now working hard to facilitate the process and the Community Board is doing everything that it can to help Helen get this market open as soon as possible.”
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