Sarah Beney and her two-year-old daughter Lucy were among the crowd at this season's night markets launch. Photo/John Stone
Sarah Beney and her two-year-old daughter Lucy were among the crowd at this season's night markets launch. Photo/John Stone
Concerns Whangārei's Canopy Night Markets have created an uneven playing field for local businesses have been raised by Hospitality New Zealand's Northland Branch.
HNZ Regional manager for Northland, Kim Odendaal said the branch doesn't want to see an end to the markets, but said the Friday night markets negatively impact on local hospitality businesses in the area, who have similar food offerings.
She said the association had received reports of up to 50 per cent loss of turnover, and in some cases more, last year on those particular market nights among local restaurants and cafes.
"Food truck programs like the Canopy Market that run across the warm summer months take a considerable share of the market during the sector's short 'high season'," Odendaal said.
She said this puts a strain on local businesses who rely on an active summer period to sustain their business, continued employment of local staff and the local economy all year round.
Odendaal said the businesses pay business rates all year round and the highest liquor licensing fees in the country. The licensing fee to use the Town Basin is $10 per annum.
Hundreds, if not thousands of people have turned out to each market. Photo/Tania Whyte
After last summer's markets Hospitality NZ met with Whangārei District Council to raise the matter, she said.
A verbal agreement was allegedly reached that the markets would not be held on a Friday or Saturday night due to the impact on local business, but could be run any other night during the week. At this point, HNZ was pleased to have reached a compromise that appeared to benefit all parties.
Odendaal said the hospitality sector was "blindsided" when the market dates were later advertised as six Fridays and two Mondays between October 19 and April 22 - one a month except for two in January.
Council community group general manager Sandra Boardman said there was an unfortunate sequence of events earlier this year that led to the confusion.
"A meeting was held with the association, local councillors and a staff member. Regrettably the staff member left the organisation without passing the information from the meeting on to the staff who negotiated the current agreement."
Odendaal said it was a disappointing response from the council, which had reneged on its earlier agreement.
"The hospitality sector is willing to work with council as it realises the importance of bringing community-based events in to the town, but when those community-based events are in direct competition to locals' livelihoods, and those of their staff, we urge them to reconsider their position."
Boardman said the aim is to bring people into the Town Basin and the centre of town, to mingle and enjoy what Whangārei has to offer and there is a balance to be found.
Leeann De Vries launched the Canopy Night Markets last year. Photo/John Stone
The markets provide low-cost early-evening entertainment and eating options and the council offers low cost licensing to encourage this kind of thing, while venues in town and at the Town Basin provide different opportunities to eat, drink, sit down for a meal, enjoy entertainment and social contact.
She said the markets and local businesses could well bounce off each other and boost business across the board.
"Our aim is to be adaptable. Holding the markets once a month of a Friday is the compromise we have settled on for this season. We're taking it year by year, seeing how the hospitality association and the night markets feel and how our community respond."
Attempts to contact the night market organiser Leeann De Vries for comment over the past two days were unsuccessful.
However, in response to a comment on a post on the Canopy Night Market facebook page, the page said: "Certainly and never was or is our intent to compromise other eateries. This is just another option and unique way to go out and eat. This also puts Whangārei on the map like the rest of the world!"
