Victoria Square to host Artisan Market

Christchurch’s Victoria Square will return to its Market Square origins to host a one-off Artisan Market.

The unique market, which will be held on 7 April, celebrates the shared cultural history of Victoria Square.

Victoria Square will host an Artisan Market on Saturday, 7 April.

Originally known as Market Square or Market Place, the site was the commercial hub of early Christchurch as many Māori sold produce on the banks of the Avon River. 

Ōtākaro Limited Chief Executive Albert Brantley says the market offers a “great reason to come into town and reacquaint yourself with the restored Victoria Square”.

“With the new Central Library, Convention Centre and Town Hall all in view from Victoria Square, you’ll be able to grab a coffee, buy something unique from a local artist, and get a good look at all the rebuild activity going on in the heart of the city,” he says.

Ōtākaro has worked with Matapopore and Felt, an online marketplace for New Zealand craftspeople, to hand-pick a selection of about 30 local stallholders.

“Our stallholders have been chosen with an eye to sustainable production and ethical practices, as well as craftsmanship,” Felt founder Lucy Arnold says.

Among the Christchurch-made original items on offer are jewellery, pounamu, soaps and balms, ceramics, and preserves.

Matapopore trustee Joseph Hullen says the market provides “an opportunity to appreciate the historic significance” of Victoria Square.

“Many Ngāi Tūāhuriri from Kaiapoi came to the central city site to sell their produce to European settlers,” he says.

The market will be held from 10am to 1pm on 7 April. In the event of bad weather, it will be postponed until 21 April.