A TASTE OF THE PAST WITH A
modern twist Kete Kai Street Market to showcase Marlborough’s diversity.
Words: Kat Duggan
A
bustle of noise will hit the air, mingling with a heady mix of food, redolent of both times gone by and modern day.
encounters between Māori and Pākehā and acknowledge the migration story of Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Nelson business Kiwi Kai and Chatham Picton’s main street is set to be transformed Island Gourmet Seafoods will be travelling to Marlborough to provide a seafood into a special street market as part of Tuia banquet for the day, a couple of stalls 250 commemorations on November 23. will be selling fry bread, hangi and more, It is hoped Kete Kai Street Market, a Deedee says. contemporary Māori pā, will give people “That’s always a crowd pleaser,” she says. a taste of both the culture and food now present in Te Tau Ihu. “[And] seafood is quite a staple in the Organiser Deedee Bancroft Wickens says the idea behind the market is to replicate a Māori village of early days, but with a multicultural twist.
Māori diet.”
“The food is actually going to be a mix of all the different cultures that are here in TeTau Ihu o te Waka a Maui (the top of the South Island),” she says.
It is hoped the market will also attract a selection of stalls offering different cuisines from around the globe, Deedee says.
“It will be a contemporary pā kind of feel; and we’ve encouraged Māori artists, educators and carvers to participate and have stalls showcasing their work.”
“I have been in touch with the Migrant Centre to see if they could ask their membership if they want to have a stall or a few stalls to try and mix it all up and show that shared future message.”
Picton is among New Zealand centres hosting Tuia 250 commemorations; acknowledging 250 years since the arrival of Captain Cook’s Endeavour in New Zealand. In particular, the commemorations are a chance to learn the stories of the first
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November 2019
Feast Merchants, Nellie Mae’s Food Caravan and Peter the Swiss Butcher will be among the food trucks on the day.
Marlborough District Council had been pivotal in getting the market off the ground, and will be planting flax, other native plants and grasses in the area, as well as tidying up what is already there to contribute to the pā feel, Deedee says.
She and her committee are also encouraging Picton businesses to take advantage of the crowds attracted by commemorations and to get involved with the market. The market is one of a range of initiatives planned for the milestone day with flotilla tours, stories of a dual history and a free concert also taking place on the foreshore. “It should be a cool day with all the activities going on,” Deedee says. Kete Kai Street Market will be held on High Street in Picton from 3pm until 8pm.
Anybody interested in hosting a stall at the market can contact Deedee, Shelley or Jo at events@adminhelp4u.co.nz.
