Giant pumpkins, food trucks galore, craft stalls, a coffee cart, ice creams, a live band and an animal show are just a few of the many things you will see at the Te Puna Harvest Market.

On Saturday, May 4, from 12pm-4pm crowds will flock to Te Puna Hall with free entry to the harvest market.

“There’s something for the whole community and children,” says organiser Sue Clarke.

“Rebecca Tasker, who we’ve just secured, is an animal trainer and she’s going to have animals for the children.

“Te Puna Public Library closed down a year or so ago. So we’ve got a few thousand books from that library, and they’ll be $2 each or six for $10.

“We have this giant pumpkin competition so people in the area, children and adults, have been growing a special variety of pumpkin which grows into a giant pumpkin, not edible, but for display.

“The judging for that will be in the afternoon of the market.

“We’ve got food trucks: Thai, Italian, Indian street food, Indonesian, pizzas, burgers, and some traditional Māori cuisine.

“We have craft stores with puzzles, handmade earrings, knitted garments, plants, artworks and framed photos. That’s all happening inside the hall and the food trucks are outside.

“We've got a live band which we had last year who are awesome, and they're called Second Time Around and they play great, easy listening sorts of classics with a bit of their own stuff.”

Bex Tasker from Positively Together will be at the Te Puna Harvest Market, wowing the crowds with her ‘Animal Magic’ show.

“The friendly sheep and chickens are trained to perform all sorts of amazing tricks, from playing soccer, to fetching a squeaky toy, to mind-reading magic tricks,” says Bex.

“There’ll also be plenty of cuddles to be had with the sheep in between shows.”

Bex is a professional animal trainer from Katikati who is on a mission to prove to the world that we don’t need to use fear or force to train animals.

“The Animal Magic show also proves that sheep and chickens are a lot smarter than most people realise.”

This is a showcase for all local artisans and people growing produce in the area, says Sue.

Sue says Floral Hub is coming out with all sorts of flowers and foliage to buy.

“It’s an opportunity for the local community to fundraise as well.

“We’ve got community groups like Te Puna Play Centre and the Te Puna School setting up with produce and other bits like baked goods for fundraising.”

This is the second time they are holding this event, and Sue says they aim to make it an annual event.

This event is free to enter and will have an EFTPOS machine at most vendors, however, Sue says: “it’s probably quite a good idea to bring cash if you’ve got it”.