Popular east market wins back licence after untangling red tape

Internal processes at Manukau City Council nearly put Howick's Saturday market in jeopardy.

"We had a real battle getting the council to give the Howick Village Association the market licence again," Howick councillor Jami-Lee Ross says.

A name change from the Howick Business Association to the Howick Village Association triggered a "strange process" within the council.

It resulted in a refusal to grant the market licence back to the association when it came up for renewal.

"It was about to go out for tender again," Mr Ross says.

"If that happened it could have gone to another operator."

It might have left the village with a licensee that operated in a negative way for local businesses, he says.

Last month, city councillors voted to delegate the decision to the community board.

Mr Ross says all board members are in favour of re-issuing the licence to the village association and it is set to go through at next Monday's meeting.

"It's quite an achievement. We've waited a long time and there's been a lot of backwards and forwards."

The market runs every Saturday from 8.30am to 12.30pm outside the information service on Picton St.

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