Nelson's Saturday story

Before most of Nelson has even stirred, the Montgomery Square carpark is already transforming. For nearly five decades, the Nelson Market has been the city’s Saturday heartbeat – a place where local businesses are born, friendships flourish, and community spirit thrives, thanks to the vision and dedication of founder Nita Knight.

Words: Adrienne Matthews

At 4am every Saturday morning, in the pitch dark when most of Nelson is still wrapped in sleep, Jason Knight’s alarm buzzes insistently to get him off to Montgomery Square to set up for the weekly Nelson Saturday Market. Rain or shine, summer or winter, the market tradition has continued for almost five decades.

Jason has been operations manager of the family business for 20 years and still enjoys arriving at the carpark in the dark each morning. “I really enjoy arriving at the carpark to a clean slate each week and gradually seeing the process of it unfold as stallholders arrive, day breaks and the public begin to come in,” he says.

It doesn’t take long before the square is full of life as people catch up with friends and meander their way through the stalls enjoying the variety and learning from stallholders about the many different goods being sold.

The story of the Nelson Market, however, is more than early starts and bustling stalls; it’s a story of vision, community, resilience, and its founder, Nita Knight.

Nita was raised in Auckland and carved out a successful professional life as a legal secretary, conference organiser, and founder of several personnel consultancy businesses. Her adventurous spirit led her across the South Pacific, sailing with two companions to America via Tahiti and the Marquesas.

During a holiday in Nelson in 1978, she was inspired by the natural beauty of the region and noticed there wasn’t a regular market. “I’d been a frequent visitor to the Cook St Market in Auckland, and I could see that a colourful, vibrant market would complement the city at a time when there was no weekend shopping”, she says. “It was also the era when many crafts like pottery, weaving and wool crafts were booming in the region, and I saw an opportunity to get craftspeople together and show off their wares to the public on a regular basis.”

Beginning as a small operation at the Millers Acre carpark in 1978, the Nelson Market has evolved into a large and bustling weekly event that has earned a reputation as being the best in New Zealand and is famous the world over thanks to its many international visitors. Fast outgrowing its initial site, a move was made to its current location in the Montgomery carpark in 1979.

One of the market's most remarkable features is its role as a launchpad for local businesses. Some now-iconic New Zealand brands had their start right here including Pic’s Peanut Butter, Proper Crisps, Nelson Naturally, and Anathoth Jams. “The market gives people the opportunity to test new business ideas and products,” Nita explains. “For some, it’s a sideline or a creative outlet; for others, it's the first step in building a thriving company.”

Pic Picot, founder of Pic’s Peanut Butter, began selling peanut butter at the Nelson Market eighteen years ago and says the Nelson Market was an important part in getting engagement with the Nelson community. “The Nelson Market was the whole guts to the success of our peanut butter. I think Nita does an amazing job and has a very clear vision of what the market should be, and that has made it incredibly good.”

The market also serves a deeper purpose in that it offers an alternative to the traditional nine to five grind. Many stallholders craft their own unique lifestyles around their market work, embracing flexibility, creativity, and enjoying the camaraderie the market provides and the chance to get their wares right in front of the public. Some have been attending for decades, making the pre-dawn journey to set up their stalls.

Running a market with such a large number of stallholders certainly has its challenges and Nita is constantly considering her stallholders and their need to get a solid return for their effort and commitment in attending each week. “People can get cross with me for not allowing some new businesses in, but it is important not to have too many of the same type of product which will be to the detriment of existing stallholder’s sales. It is always a very fine balance. I also am criticised for not having more live performances, but these can negatively impact the sales of stallholders too. They need to have the best chance possible to have a good day as many of them rely on the market for their income.”

Nita is strict on quality and this sense of principled leadership is what has allowed the Nelson Market to maintain its reputation for so long. Even royalty has taken notice. In 2015, Prince Charles and Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, visited during their New Zealand tour. “It was a great compliment that they specifically requested to visit the market,” Nita remembers. “It was great to see them interacting with stallholders and taking a genuine interest.”

There have been visits by Prime Ministers, All Blacks, food writers and international tourism promoters who have been eager to include the market as a feature in their tour recommendations for the region.

There have been hard times and Covid was the worst. “It was heartbreaking being closed for so long and knowing that stallholders were suffering with a loss of income,” Nita says. “There is always sadness too when stallholders of many years retire.”

The weather can be another downer with more than usual rain over the last year meaning that only the hardiest, mostly fruit and vegetable stallholders, are able to attend on wet days.

The Nelson Market is more than a collection of stalls. It is a central community hub that gathers people together and brings the city to life, something many local retailers are grateful for.

It’s also a place that gives some people the opportunity to do special things. The late Shirley Miles served as the Pearly Queen from 2000 to 2015, faithfully wearing her traditional pearly suit in honour of the London street traders who once collected pearl buttons from the streets to create costumes to wear while fundraising for charity. Continuing this tradition, she raised more than $160,000 for the Nelson Tasman Hospice.

Beyond the market, Nita has lived a life rich in service and personal history. From 1998 to 2004, she served on the Nelson City Council. She has also been involved in a number of local organisations and continues to support charities through market initiatives, often providing free or reduced-rate stalls to community groups and student entrepreneurs under the youth Young Enterprise scheme.

In 2018 she received a New Zealand Order of Merit citation for her contribution to the Nelson region and its businesses.

There have been many changes at the market throughout the years, the biggest being the extensive range of products sold today and the array of multicultural food carts including Thai, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, Italian, German, Filipino, Indian, Mexican, Korean and New Zealand kai.

Many original crafts remain but have been added to by artists, many artisan food products, clothing and textiles, plants, flowers, skincare, sculpture, jewellery and so much more. “We used to say we have ‘everything under the sun’,” says Nita, “and we really do. A number of our food producers have received national awards which is always something to celebrate.”

Someone who appreciates the market’s significance to the wider community is Dana Morgan who has been serving coffee and chat at the Nelson Market and Monty’s Market on Sunday for almost 20 years. “I just love being amongst the hustle and bustle,” she says. “I get to meet so many people from all around the world and also enjoy my regulars, many whose children I’ve seen grow up throughout the years. Marketeers are good at connecting with each other too which is a big part of the social scene we have here.”

“I've got a lot of admiration and respect for Nita,” she continues. “If she hadn’t started this, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to be part of something so special.”

At 1pm on Saturday as the market winds down and the stalls are packed away; there’s no time to rest. Nita and Jason are already thinking about the next day’s Sunday Monty’s Market where second-hand goods can be sold by members of the public. “I enjoy that market too,” says Jason. “It’s really relaxed and good to see people and families being able to sell second-hand goods and make some money while buyers get the chance to purchase hidden gems. You never quite know what you might find at Monty’s Market.”

Nita continues to enjoy all the characters she meets from all walks of life thanks to the many thousands of people the market attracts each year and her loyal stallholders. “I’ve also been incredibly fortunate to have had so much support throughout the decades from members of the community, family and wonderful staff,” she adds.

Thanks to Nita’s tireless energy and vision, supported by Jason, the Nelson Market remains a vital thread in the fabric of Nelson life and every Saturday morning, long before the sun comes up, the first steps are taken to keep that heartbeat going strong.