Kia Rite Time to Act: Pop up market reduces the impact and costs of fast fashion

It is a good idea to use a different language.T started because of selfish reasons. My family had moved from Tāmaki Makaurau to Te Matau a Māui Hawke’s Bay in 2018 with a 2-year-old and a baby of six months.

Children’s stuff is expensive, and
with no family nearby to pass on hand-me-downs, our options for accessing affordable children’s clothes and equipment were limited. Local op shops at the time didn’t hold much choice for us. The kids’ markets that popped up every few months in Auckland were non-existent in Hawke’s Bay, so I decided to create the Pop-up Kids Market.

It is a simple concept, but it works. The concept is simple but very effective.

The shoppers are other whānau, parents and parents-to-be, looking for bargains and to make their money go further. It has grown and matured in the past four years with lots of repeat stallholders and customers – kids grow up and grow out of things fast!

The cost of raising children is high. According to BNZ’s baby calculator, in 2018 a new pēpi cost about $16,000 a year – it’s no doubt more now. It will mostly be for childcare but also include clothes and big ticket items, such as strollers, cots, car seats, etc. The bills can add up quickly when you buy new items.

What happens at the opposite end? Every year, New Zealand landfills are flooded with 180,000 tonnes worth of clothing and textiles. That’s a pretty depressing statistic without imagining all the plastic toys and other paraphernalia that gets discarded too.

The reuse of products makes good sense. Reduce waste by buying less (saving money) and throwing away less (reducing waste). Simple to say, not easy to achieve. Being more thrifty can be a time-consuming and difficult task. You can start by looking for pre-owned versions of large items like strollers.

This exercise, which began with me as an attempt to save some money, has not only opened my mind to waste, such as the creation of clothing, toys, or equipment, but to also the feeling of community that comes when we share and give away the things we don’t need anymore. As a way to fight climate change, it is something I do.

Luckily, life for the second-hand shopping parent is getting easier in Hawke’s Bay with a burgeoning mix of like-minded organisations.

My Walk In Wardrobe now regularly comes to Hawke’s Bay. Pregnancy help offers free clothing, toys and other equipment to newborns and children up to 2 years old. There are branches in Hastings/Napier as well as Waipukurau.

Facebook has pages such as You Made My Day Hawke’s Bay and Free Stuff Hawke’s Bay where people give things away they no longer need (both are private groups and have admin rules). And I haven’t even touched on the awesome local recycling organisations such as Re-Source and the ultimate fixer-uppers like Re-New NZ and Menzshed NZ. There will be so many more I’ve missed here.

Pop-up Kids Markets and other similar events are a good idea.

Join the group of people who recycle more, reuse, and repurpose. There’s no better time than now. Kia rite!

Havelock North’s Scout Hall will host the next Pop-up Kids Market on Sunday 30th April, 8am-10am. https://www.facebook.com/hn.popupmarket

Get in touch: [email protected]

Sarah Bell is strategy and performance team lead at Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.