Taranaki Farmers Market Trust Charter Aims
In a nutshell, our market is built around the words "By Taranaki, for Taranaki".
Here's a summary of the key aspects of the Farmers Market Taranaki Trust Charter:
Aims
To facilitate the formation of a network of producers and consumers of primary produce in Taranaki.
To provide an easily accessible and affordable infrastructure for both consumers and producers in a central location in Taranaki on a regular basis.
To support the viable and self sufficient operation of existing and future producers, small businesses and cottage industries in Taranaki.
To promote, support and further the rapport and understanding between local producer and consumer in Taranaki by means of information, education and needs evaluation and by working closely with the local authorities.
To provide the Taranaki community with locally grown and produced wholesome food at market related prices.
Mission
Farmers Market Taranaki operates with multiple beneficial aims, primary ones being:
To support and stimulate profitable trading and business growth of independent primary producers, hobby farmers, community and home gardeners, and associated produce value-adders and cottage industries.
To provide customers with regular supplies of fresh local food and access to improved nutrition.
Community Values
Farmers Market Taranaki aims to be an integral part of the Taranaki Community and strives to provide various local benefits, including:
Food and nutrition education
Regeneration of community spirit
Rural/urban linkages
Facilitation of community based food security programs
Recycling of green waste and appropriate packaging.
OUR TRUSTEES
Cecily Bull
Cecily Bull is a past stallholder of Farmers Market Taranaki and has administrative and leadership experience in mental health non-profits and community groups.
Cecily attends to the background details for Farmers Market Taranaki – admin, finances, reporting etc – so that the rest of the team is free to do what they do best.
Cecily enjoys being part of an organisation that is an antidote to the impersonal mechanised food system, restoring connection while providing healthy food. Farmers markets are one of the few places where customers can still get to know their suppliers - the trusting relationships that naturally develop during regular weekly encounters support wellbeing and build community. She is interested in finding novel ways to offer this experience to others.
Melissa Holmes
Melissa owns Coastal Market Garden, a small-scale market garden located 20 minutes south of New Plymouth. She and her team bring freshly harvested, seasonal produce to Farmers Market Taranaki every Sunday.
Providing locally grown healthy food to the community and having the opportunity to buy directly from the farmer are important to Melissa. The Stallholders at Farmers Market Taranaki consistently provides quality local products, and Coasal Market Garden is please to take part each weekend.
Melissa would love to see the market grow and encourages all growers and producers in Taranaki, big or small, to get in touch with her or the market coordinator for more information on becoming a stallholder.
Carl Freeman
Carl is an academic staff member at WITT/Te Pukenga in the Primary Industries department where is teaches horticulture.
He has a stakeholder-focused mindset and facilitation capabilities, developed through various social entrepreneurship, facilitation, board and leadership roles. He has had a key involvement with the local food economy in Taranaki by initiating the Farming to Flourish Pivot Research and being invited to be on various expert advisory committees related to food production in the region by the likes of Venture Taranaki and Sustainable Taranaki.
Carl is passionate about capturing feedback and building continuous improvement loops into the Farmers Market Taranaki organisation. He believes the market plays an important social, environmental and economic role for the region.
Emma Thompson
Emma is a holistic Nutritionist, certified Health Coach, a keen gardener and was our 2022 Market Coordinator. She is passionate about food security, health literacy and building community resilience through local food systems.
As a consumer advocate, she believes that community empowerment and contribution are crucial to inform the path towards a sustainable future. Drawing on experience with chronic disease, mental-health, nutrient-density, food security and public healthcare, she brings strong net-working and interpersonal skills with a nutrition-based approach to the board.
Emma is excited for the Farmers Market to continue developing as a social hub for improving food security, promoting healthy eating, knowledge exchange and sharing Taranaki’s incredible produce!
Siobhan Hemingway
Siobhan is a web designer & illustrator with a passion for gardening and food. Her happiest moments are when these worlds collide and she can share her love for growing with others through art and korero.
With a background of dealing with chronic illness from a young age, she came to realise the true importance of food, where it comes from and how it can impact our wellbeing. She is a strong advocate for growing your own food and supporting local food systems to create an environment that sustains & regenerates our collective health of both the people and the land. She has also begun her studies in horticulture and will continue this path in studying organic production this year.
Also a member of the Eat New Zealand Eat Kaitaki whānau, she shares the hopes of seeing our local growers, chefs, bakers and food makers at the heart of the future of food in Aotearoa. She looks forward to seeing our market grow and become a welcoming hub in Taranaki for our community to connect with one another through nourishing kai.