Grey Lynn Farmers Market in 2025

 

Grey Lynn Farmers Market: A Community Gem

On Sunday mornings, Grey Lynn Farmers Market transforms the Grey Lynn Community Centre, into a vibrant village square that brings locals together for their weekly grocery shopping.

Young families gather near the playground, locals enjoy chatting with people they know, and vendors share cooking tips and stories about how the food has reached the market.

It’s a space that provides opportunities for community groups and student entrepreneurs to engage with locals, and it provides first job experiences for college students.

Grey Lynn Farmers Market is proud to be a member of Farmers Market New Zealand, prioritising local seasonal food that is grown or made by the people who sell it. The vendors at the market are carefully curated to match these priorities and provide interesting choices for customers.

The heart of the market lies in its stallholders – passionate individuals who grow, raise, harvest, and bake. They offer a diverse array of delicious and nutritious products, including free-range eggs, certified organic milk, local honey, kombucha, fresh juices, specialty cheeses, artisan foods,  meat, pies, sourdough bread, pastries, and certified organic produce. 

In the beginning…

Unlike many other farmers markets which are driven by farmers looking for places to sell their produce, Grey Lynn Farmers Market was created out of the desire of locals to buy food directly from the people who grow and make it.

At the inaugural Grey Lynn 2030 meeting in October 2008, the market vision was one of the pillars driving the transition town.

The first market manager, Vinnie Dickie, fuelled by a passion for community and vibrant markets, provided the initial spark and drive that enabled the first committee to bring the market to life.

The initial $8,000 required to launch the market was raised through the generous pledges of over 300 individuals, each contributing between $20 and $1,000. Further funds were generated by juicing locally sourced citrus fruit at the 2008 Grey Lynn Park Festival.

The market’s grand opening on Sunday, September 6th, 2009, was met with an overwhelming response. Over a thousand eager shoppers arrived, necessitating a staggered entry system to manage the crowds. 

Navigating Challenges

Grey Lynn Farmers Market has faced its share of challenges. 

In the beginning, the market only occupied the main hall of the community centre and this indoor location proved to be a significant obstacle. Passersby couldn’t see what was happening inside so outdoor stalls and eye-catching blackboards were used to raise the market’s visibility and attract a surge in customers.

In those early days, the market had to relocate on the last Sunday of each month because a craft market had a long-term booking in the hall. Customers were confused by the monthly market relocation to a carpark across the road until the craft market relinquished its booking and the market gained a predictable weekly home at the community centre.

One of the most significant trials was the 2015 Queensland fruit fly outbreak – the market was inside the restricted zone. Stallholders and customers were not allowed to take fruit and vegetables outside the zone, hampering customer access and threatening stallholder viability. 

At one point, dwindling stallholder numbers and customer turnout threatened to close the market.

Despite the infamous West Lynn village roadworks creating months of disruption, closely followed by major repair work cladding the community centre in scaffolding, the market managed to draw customers back and bring in new stallholders.

The Covid Years

The community commitment was an essential factor in weathering the challenges of Covid when the market was forced to close its doors during lockdown periods.

Social media and email newsletters were lifelines for keeping in touch with customers and stallholders to let them know that the market was still there for them.

Special thanks to Isabel Pasch, a committee member during that time, who opened her Bread & Butter Bakery website to other stallholders as a way to keep providing products to customers during lockdowns. George’s Garden made boxes of vegetables, Jersey Girls Organics provided milk, Nature’s Corner provided trays of free-range eggs, and of course there were orders of fresh bread and pastries. Teams of volunteers helped deliver these to customers who were grateful to avoid the notorious queues at supermarkets.

And thanks to the customers who endured the obligatory restrictions when the market was able to return in person.

Business Incubator

Markets provide important entry opportunities for new food businesses. They allow small scale production, direct feedback from customers, building a brand and a following. Grey Lynn Farmers Market actively recognises this role.

Special thanks to Rebekah Hay (Hakanoa Homemade Drinks) who contributed significantly to this kaupapa during her time on the market committee. Rebekah created and ran practical courses for people with business ideas, helping them to get started.

Stallholders are encouraged to work together collaboratively – often an unexpected benefit of the market. The urban location also provides opportunities to be spotted by influential food industry contacts.

In the middle of each year, the market hosts groups of college students testing out their ideas as part of their business studies. To enable this, the market relaxes their usual food-only requirements. This injects some fun and brings in new customers.

Highlights

Grey Lynn Farmers Market has had some publicity wins that have all led to surges in customer numbers and interest from prospective stallholders, notably:

• Cover feature in Ponsonby News magazine in February 2018, followed by a monthly column in the magazine.
• Growing social media following –  8,700 followers on Facebook and 5,000 followers on Instagram, as of April 2025.
• Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited in August 2020 
• Publicity campaign, for Farmers Market Week in March 2023, notably a double page spread in the Sunday magazine
• Jersey Girls Organics featured on Country Calendar in August 2024 and included an interview with the market manager (Carol Gunn).
• Aotearoa Grown, a Waipu papaya grower, is due to be featured on Country Calendar in mid 2025.

Sustainability Focus

Grey Lynn Farmers Market has a strong commitment to sustainability, aiming to be zero waste. Shopping at the market provides customers with the opportunity to reduce the packaging of their food, bring their own containers, refill milk bottles, and return jars/bottles.

A regular re-use table provides a way for people to swap used jars and egg cartons.

Stallholders are consistently encouraged to review and reduce the waste associated with their stall.

In 2025, the market is hoping to reduce single-use cups and plates by introducing a set of re-usable cups and plates for stallholders to serve food and drink. In the meantime, the single use cups and plates are composted by Green Gorilla at their Tuakau plant. Only a handful of waste goes to landfill at the end of the market.

Bike to the Market promotions in 2020 and 2022 were enabled by Auckland Transport grants from their Bike Fund. To encourage customers to try alternative ways of getting to the market, we used the grants to provide secure valet bike parking and rewarded customers on bikes with market vouchers. 

Thriving market

Thanks to community support and in spite of the challenges along the way, the market has managed to expand its footprint to include the aptly-named Garden room and the carpark. Stallholders and customer numbers have grown to fit the new spaces.

Membership of the incorporated society (“Friends of the Market”) has expanded and a steady stream of highly qualified committee members has provided crucial support for the market. 

Today, Grey Lynn Farmers Market is a bustling community hub, a far cry from its struggling early days. The market boasts popular stalls, live music, and a constant influx of new vendors.

The market fulfills its founders’ vision: serving as a vital community asset, fostering local shopping, and connecting consumers with producers. It also acts as a business incubator, empowering aspiring food entrepreneurs. Regular customers plan their weekends around the market, valuing the direct connection to those who grow and produce their food, and enjoying catching up with friends.

The market provides a community trading table for home gardeners and over the years has had  volunteers from Sanctuary Gardens, Kelmarna Community Farm, and Rotary’s Gardens in Schools initiative.

The GLFM has hosted numerous events and workshops, storytelling, gardening tips, cooking lessons, fermentation workshops, bread making, sustainability and permaculture workshops, cycle repair, pop-up shops, market birthdays, special Christmas markets, and business incubator seminars.

Since its inception in 2009, Grey Lynn Farmers Market has grown and evolved, solidifying its position as a cherished and enduring part of the Grey Lynn community.

Carol Gunn – Grey Lynn Farmers Market Manager