Fancy organic food, classic car boot sellers and everything in between.

Every weekend, Aucklanders pour into carparks, sheds and fields across the city, shuffling from gazebo to gazebo, admiring glossy aubergines and artful wok skills. It’s the markets, we’re mad for them! You can head out West to Oratia, South to Māngere and Ōtara, or stick around central, where there are plenty too. Each has a different flavour; some are bursting with kai from around the world, others are attuned to bargain hunters, and some do it all. And then there are those with a speciality focus or tied to an event like Pasifika. Since we’re so spoiled for choice, for now let’s focus on the ones that run weekly or fortnightly: the neighbourhood farmers and flea markets of Tāmaki Makaurau.

Ōtara Market
Saturday, 5am to 2pm
Newbury Street (find it in the car park behind the Ōtara Town Centre).

A long-standing fixture of the city, this has been running since 1976 and is considered a cultural institution (Oscar Kightley even took a TV crew there in 2001). A destination for panipopo, produce and politicians, last week it was announced that the market had not only secured a new five-year commercial licence, it can also be open longer. Things are quite relaxed; sellers don’t need to book a spot ahead of time, instead just talk to the supervisor between 6am and 7am, who will assign you a location the morning of. 

Takapuna Sunday Market
Sunday, 7am-2pm
Waiwharariki Anzac Square

Still going strong on the North Shore for over three decades, this enduring favourite caters to locals and anyone enticed across the bridge. Shifting from flea market to more of a food offering in recent years, you can get Taiwanese tea eggs, Filipino adobo, fresh flowers and potted plants. 

Oratia’s The Shed Collective Farmers Market
Saturday, 8.30am-12pm
99 Parrs Cross Road

Housed in that distinctive green shed and a wholesome way to start your weekend, this market makes the most of West Auckland’s proximity to produce and crafty makers. Think spray-free veges, plant-based cheeses, sea moss, hand-thrown ceramics and buckets of flowers (grown on the property), plus plenty to eat while you browse. 

Clevedon Village Farmers Market
Sunday, 8am-1pm
Clevedon A&P Showgrounds, Monument Road

Produce-heavy and worth a trip to this corner of Tāmaki Makaurau, this market kicks off at a leisurely time compared to some of the others. You’ll find heirloom tomatoes, cured meats (make sure to grab some chorizo), preserves, smoked salmon, eggs and fresh flowers – as well as some handicrafts – and likely leave feeling quite wholesome. 

Auckland Night Markets
Monday to Sunday, multiple locations, from 4pm-5pm until 10pm or 11pm

With doughnuts so popular that people queue and queue and queue for them, and a distinct focus on food from all over the world, these markets have become a high-stakes location to launch and run a business (as we explained this month). Unlike other markets, they’re a moving feast, taking place at a different destination every night, including Henderson and Pakūranga and many, many more. Each is a little bit different, with a variety of locations – most are private, usually carparks, while Silo Park is council land – and stalls, all of which are charged differently depending on the event (and in some cases, the night in question). On any given night of the week, you might find vendors slinging everything from pillowy pork buns to steamy phở. 

Central Flea Market
Sundays, 8am-1pm (fortnightly during winter)
170 Balmoral Road

Taking over the carpark behind what used to be the big red shed, Balmoral’s Central Flea Market has grown to become a thrifters’ paradise. This is largely thanks to the parameters around what you can sell; general stalls can have secondhand or handmade wares only. Its growth is also buoyed by the (very visible) rise of vintage as the de facto fashion choice for a swathe of young Aucklanders, many of whom can be found at Central Flea rifling through baggy vintage jeans, rugby jerseys and slip dresses. Plenty of the sellers have made a business out of it, naming their stores and posting finds on Instagram. There’s a flow-on effect to Junk and Disorderly next door, which is usually equally busy, and an assortment of food trucks and coffee options to fuel your search for the perfect Crown Lynn set and vintage Levi’s. 

Catalina Bay Farmers Market
Saturday and Sunday, 8:30am-2pm
Hudson Bay Road Extension

Hobsonville Point residents are lucky to have one of the few markets to operate both Saturday and Sunday in the neighbourhood. Unlike many of its competitors, this one’s waterside, making it particularly nice on a good day. The layout is compact, so you won’t get overwhelmed or lost, and kai is a focus (though where isn’t it). Munch on things like whitebait fritters and gozlome, and shop for microgreens and smoked salmon. 

Māngere Market
Saturday, 7am-2pm
Māngere Town Centre

A fixture in the neighbourhood, this market takes place in Māngere Town Centre and is a classic mix of vendors; stalls sell fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables (some shoppers bring a trolley to do their weekly produce shop) as well as clothing, jewellery and household appliances. Casual spots can be booked on the Thursday prior, allocated and paid for on market day, while permanent vendors need to pay on the first Saturday of each month. Stalls cost $45, and profits from the market, which falls under the umbrella of the Māngere Trust Board, go to local schools and services. Politicians like to go there too. 

Britomart Saturday Market
Saturday, 8am-2pm
Takutai Square

Started in 2006, the buzzing market now sprawls from Takutai Square through Te Ara Tahuhu Walkway, and hundreds visit each weekend. Crowds are as mixed as the stalls, drawing city-centre residents, tourists and day trippers who’ve jumped on a train or ferry to downtown Auckland. While there are plenty of crafts and trinkets, food stalls dominate. You can buy fresh produce, as well as bread and other baked goods, and the orderly rows of tables and food trucks sell food from all around the world: Trinidad, Palestine, Thailand and Serbia. 

Howick Village Market
Saturday, 8am-12.30pm
91 Picton Street

Nestled in the east-est of East Auckland is this buzzy, upbeat local market that draws much of the neighbourhood to the main street with cheeses, meats, produce, fresh flowers, useful crafts (wheatbags and woodworking) and an array of baked goods. 

Avondale Sunday Market
Sunday, 5am-12pm
Avondale Racecourse, 22 Elm Street

An Auckland institution, this is among the oldest markets in the city, established in the 1970s (its own website concedes “no one is sure exactly when”) by the local Labour branch. Today, it’s among the most affordable for vendors and understandably competitive; stallholders are encouraged to get there by 5am at the latest to be allocated a good spot, and marketgoers would be wise to get there early too – it gets BUSY, with around 20,000 people visiting each week. Despite this popularity and history however, questions have been raised about the property, with reports (and a lot of “jockeying” puns) that New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) was being challenged by community groups over the transfer of ownership, rezoning and possible development of the Avondale Jockey Club site for housing. 

Grey Lynn Farmers Market
Sunday 8.30am-12pm
Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Road

This one’s community-owned and operated, and nutritionally minded, with organic, vegan and market gardeners all represented inside and outside the centre. Don’t forget to bring your bag, cup and (if buying milk) bottles – unnecessary waste is discouraged. 

Ostend Market
Saturday 8am-1pm
RSA Hall, 29 Belgium Street

Jump on the ferry and hop across to Waiheke. This market got going in 1975, evolving with the island. There’s crafts galore, produce, organic goods and everything you could expect from stallholders in this corner of the region – even koha and swaps. Currently operated by Waiheke Community Childcare Centre, it even boasts a philosophy (environment, community and waste are all fundamental). 

Parnell Farmers Market
Saturday, 8am-12pm
545 Parnell Road

Among the city’s younger markets, this was established in 2007 and has since earned loyal fans, particularly among nearby residents, and helps fill the hole left by the closure of La Cigale (more on that below). Expect gourmet fare like specialty meats and cheeses, Mediterranean classics, ultra-fresh produce and boutique kettle corn – ambitious home cooks can even bring their knives for a sharpen. Be sure to try Bruno’s Pizza if they’re there. 

Wait, what about the others, I’m sure there were more?

For many Aucklanders, especially anyone new to the city, running a food stall can be a business opportunity with reduced hurdles around leases and overheads. For some, it’s a career pivot after losing a fulltime job, while others find market hours fit around care work and other responsibilities.

It can be a tricky business. Stallholders have to absorb start-up costs, ongoing overheads, and predict trade, all while competing with hundreds of other vendors. Organisers are reliant on access to land, vendor interest and consumer support for success. Weather, infrastructure and bureaucracy all present challenges too. (Good luck getting punters to enjoy your perfectly crusty bánh mì when there’s an atmospheric river hitting Auckland.)

Given the delicate juggling act of logistics and personalities, markets are vulnerable to changing forces of organisers – resource, time and energy all playing a role in how they fare – and the whims of punters. Markets need marketgoers.

Not all of them survive. Freyberg Place’s The City Centre Market closed in December 2022, replaced by The Village Square City Market, which also folded six months later. (Currently you’ll find Carnaval Latino in the square every second Saturday.) Parnell’s La Cigale French markets had a solid run, 24 years in fact, before shutting down in 2022.

The Aotea Square Market, run by the council and The Edge for a decade, ceased in December 2008 due to the precinct’s multi-million dollar upgrade. Though it looked at as many as 20 other sites, none were suitable and relocation proved impossible; disappointed stallholders told media they felt “sidelined”.

The location was once home to the Auckland City Market, built by the council in 1872 on land gifted by the Crown. Aucklanders could peruse stalls selling everything from food and produce to vintage items and “fancy-goods”. The building eventually became dilapidated, and the markets left in 1918, moving to Customs Street East. In 1930, the highest-priced eggs in years could be found there, and a headline-worthy sheep deal. By 1936 “disappointed” members of the Auckland City Market Employees Society had their request to unionise refused, and media reported complaints of “class feeling” and “hostility”. Ink was spilled over the markets then too.

If we’ve missed a weekly or fortnightly market in Auckland, please let us know in the comments below.