Otane market vision becomes reality

Trudy Burgess had a vision - to transform the Otane Hall into a vibrant, bustling market every Sunday.

After two months of hard work, the dream is on the way to becoming a reality.

Currently living on a station between Kereru and Maraekakaho, Trudy has taken on the job of organising the venture.

For the past couple of months she has regularly made the 120km round trip to Otane, networking and inviting people to take part.

"It's great fun but also a steep learning curve - particularly when it comes to getting permission and approval from the council for food stalls - there's quite different legislation for weekly markets compared to periodic ones."

It's all in place and the plan is for the Otane market to be a one-stop shop for anything from fresh produce to arts and crafts, gourmet food products, fashion and jewellery.

At the same time, there will be cooking demonstrations and gourmet sausage sizzles and plans are afoot to invite local musicians to provide entertainment - and that's just the start.

"It's as much about bringing the community together as anything," says Trudy.

"It will give our local farmers, growers and cottage industries a profile and an opportunity to meet and barter with each other."

Her experience working in farmers' markets in San Francisco during the 1980s and 1990s showed her how well this can work, she says.

"I sold orchard produce for growers there for about eight years and would find myself trading with other stall holders and going home with other items such as chocolates - it's a great way to bring people together."

The cost to have a stall at the Otane Sunday market is $10 and people can either have a regular table or a one-off spot for that price.

The market is running every Sunday from 9am to 1pm.

"I have found Otane to be such a supportive and proactive community - people are keen to get involved, so it's very exciting."

People wanting a stall at the market can contact Jan on 06 856 8462