Street vendors win support: 'We need to grow our town centre, not kill it off'

Business owners have pleaded with a South Auckland local board to crack down on non-ratepaying street vendors in the Ōtara town centre.

But the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board chair says they need to support entrepreneurs and grow the town centre, "not kill it off”.

The Ōtara Business Association petitioned the local board during its monthly meeting on Tuesday.

Ōtara town centre manager Rana Judge said he was concerned by “the growing surge in unlawful street trading" within the area.

Street traders sell items such as pork buns, barbeque, and mussels, Judge said.

The lamb buns sold at Ōtara town centre by Sāmoan street vendor Simona Lautasi is the entrepreneurship the local board encourages. Photo/PMN News - Mary Afemata

“We are concerned that the local board is funding directly or indirectly the licence fees of the traders and we believe this could be construed as anti-competitive behaviour by the local board,” Judge said.

Ōtara Business Association chairman Amit Narcha also raised concerns on behalf of business owners and ratepayers of the Otara Business Improvement District.

Narchal reiterated issues highlighted in a letter to the board, including unfair competition from street vendors and the economic strain on the centre's businesses.

Local board member Albert Lim, who supported the association's concerns, said he had seen vendors trading throughout Ōtara and Papatoetoe.

“This is the wrong place and the wrong time to instigate this street trading,” he said.

“If the street vendors want to do it, they can do it ... at the night market.”

At the moment, there are three street vendors operating in the Ōtara town centre.

As a former street vendor, Board member Lorenzo Kaisara said he understood the challenges and aspirations.

“Issuing a street vendor trading licence for whatever is needed for them to operate legally will only serve as a positive example for other current street vendors and future street vendors,” he said.

The Ōtara Business Association wrote to the Ōtara Papatoetoe Local board about the negative impact of street vendors in the town centre.

He asked the business association about any complaints from other retailers who sell pork buns.

Judge said quite a few retailers sold pork buns from their shops, and they had complained about losing business.

Councillor Lotu Fuli said she saw on TikTok some American influencers who visited Ōtara “specifically for the best pork buns in Otara”.

“Although that was what brought them to the town centre, they then spent the day, they went around all of the other shops buying other food.”

The video got hundreds of thousands of views, which she said was a positive thing for Ōtara.

“Perhaps this is an opportunity for us to look at how we can work together as a community, as a local board, as a business association, and even me for my regional space to unlock some of that potential opportunity.”

Apulu Reece Autagavaia, chair of Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board, said the street vendors offered healthy competition.

Rather than stifling entrepreneurs, the community should be supporting them, he said.

"As a business association, I thought you guys would be championing these people and encouraging them and finding solutions.”

The Ōtara Business Association presents their petition to oppose licences for street vendors in the Ōtara town centre. Photo/PMN News - Mary Afemata

However, Autagavaia said he had yet to see any solutions from the business association.

"We gave you $15,000 for a business strategy, a business plan, which included putting on night markets, and then when we put on night markets you guys objected."

The board wanted to empower street vendors to get their licences and legitimise their trade, he said.

“We need to grow the town centre, not kill it off.”

Autagavaia clarified that the local board does not issue licences to vendors.

The Licensing and Compliance Services division of Auckland Council handles food licences.

“We're going to let our contractors work with them, maybe they'll set up a shop in your town centre, start paying the targeted rates to you guys and hopefully we'll get some activities from your end that will bring more people in."

The business association responded by saying they would work together to find solutions that benefit the town centre and its businesses including street vendors.

The board agreed to support the street vendors and encourage their entrepreneurship to help their families.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.