Te Mākete o Whangārei for small businesses taking place this weekend

Tiare Designs are just one of the local businesses that will be featured at Te Mākete o Whangarei Terenga Paraoa. Photo / Supplied

A community initiative has bought together local businesses across Whangārei just in time for Christmas.

Te Mākete o Whangārei Terenga Paraoa will take place this Saturday at Terenga Paraoa Marae on Poriwini Ave in a bid to spread awareness of small businesses.

“We have predominantly small Māori businesses that are coming through,” said Maraina Latimer, from Hine Raumati in Maunu.

The market is a collective of businesses in the Te Tai Tokerau region, including Hine Raumati, which stocks mostly local and pacific merchandise.

She said the event is about “encouraging people to shop local,” and will be a “cool little community day for people to come down.”

Latimer told the Advocate the market will be “easily accessible for the whole community.”

She said choosing to hold the market at a marae was a way to bring traditional values back into the open.

“Our family have been involved in the marae since it first opened in the 1980s,” she said, “and since I’ve been around, I haven’t seen the marae have a community day to open up.”

Other small businesses include The Happy Puku, Tiare Designs, Wild Kawakawa, and Leacy Boutique, which hand-picks thrifted clothing.

Tikipunga Primary Kapa Haka will also perform at the event, and will have their own range of stalls with everything from wire-wrapped necklaces and art to lolly pots and keyrings.

Traditional Māori massage will also be a key feature of the market, as well as free and koha [donation] haircuts from the Certified Studio from Hamilton. Gold card holders will be able to have a free haircuts, while others can pay koha.

“I guess if it turns out really well, I’m hoping it would be an annual event for entrepreneurs,” said Latimer, “and also give that little bit of extra money for [stall holders’] whānau coming up to Christmas time.”

Te Mākete o Whangārei Terenga Paraoa is located at 10 Porowini Avenue, Morningside, Whangārei 0110, and will run from 7am to 12pm this Saturday, November 26.

Information about the stalls can be found here.