The Avondale Sunday Markets
The Avondale Sunday Market is New Zealand’s largest and longest-running one-day market, attracting up to 20,000 visitors each week for over 45 years. Held on 3.5 hectares of the Avondale Racecourse grounds, the market is a vital hub of affordable, culturally diverse food and goods - serving not just as a community tradition, but as an essential source of low-cost fresh produce during a time of growing financial hardship.
PHOTO CREDIT: JODY McMILLAN
​Protect the Avondale Sunday Market – A Lifeline in a Cost of Living Crisis
With three food relief programmes already operating in Avondale, the need for accessible, affordable food is urgent. The market consistently offers fruit and vegetables significantly cheaper than supermarkets, helping stretch household budgets while also supporting small, often migrant-run businesses.
Many of these vendors provide culturally specific ingredients not found elsewhere - critical for food security and cultural connection.
If development displaces the market, it’s not just a loss of history - it’s a blow to the wellbeing of thousands. In a city facing a cost of living crisis, we cannot afford to lose such an important economic and social lifeline.
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Let’s retain the racecourse and protect this essential community asset.
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Chart courtesy of Hoopla
