PHILOSOPHY

Our Market is and has been a melting pot for all the people of Waiheke and its many visitors for around 30 years now.

The Ostend Market is a Community Market operated by the Waiheke Community Childcare Centre. Our Vision is to provide a Market that is a friendly, vibrant, diverse and an interesting place for young and old and people from all walks of life. We welcome all Stallholders and in particular community groups, at the discretion of the Market Coordinators, that wish to use the Market as a forum to introduce their services and community initiatives free of charge. Children and Youth may have a stall at a discounted rate. We believe if the Market is flourishing it will benefit all of our Community including all the traders and visitors of the Market.

We welcome entertainment and activities for both children and adults and wish to provide a peaceful, safe, and supportive environment for all our visitors and stallholders at the Market. We endeavour to become sustainable and earth friendly, minimising any negative impact on the environment. Our Philosophy is to be transparent and fair and we have a set of policies supporting this practice also enabling our Co-ordinators to move forward in developing the Market further.

The Waiheke Community Childcare Centre cares for the health of the planet and the world our children will inherit. The Ostend Market is our mainstay fundraiser and key public event. We are committed to minimising the environmental impact of the market both as a way of role modelling to our children and the public and in keeping with our philosophy of caring for and protecting our island and planet. With support and guidance from the Waiheke Waste Resources Trust and Auckland Council, we have developed Zero Waste Stations at the Market. With co-operation we are working towards Zero Waste at the Ostend Market.

We believe if the Market is flourishing it will benefit all of our Community including the traders and visitors alike.