Kāpiti Food Fair is where great food, great people, and great summer memories come together.  As one of the Wellington region’s most anticipated food festivals, it offers a vibrant celebration of New Zealand’s food culture, bringing together the very best producers, artisans, chefs, entertainers, and food lovers for an unforgettable destination day out.

More than just a food event, Kāpiti Food Fair is a lively summer festival that celebrates the incredible talent and diversity of New Zealand’s food and beverage industry.  Visitors can sample and shop their way through an exciting United Nations of flavours, discovering artisan products, boutique beverages, handcrafted treats, international street food, fresh produce, specialty ingredients, and unique home and kitchen products.  It is a place to try, buy, eat, drink, relax, and uncover new favourites.

Kāpiti Food Fair was established in 2008 as a community event with humble beginnings.  The Fair is a privately owned and operated company with Helene Judge & Jeanine van Kradenburg at the helm as directors, who helped conceptualise the initial event.  Kāpiti Food Fair is a Member of the New Zealand Events Association.

The Fair reserves the right to use any image captured by our official photographer for promotional purposes in any media, in perpetuity without compensation, unless not consented.

OUR VISION:

To become a standout food & beverage pop-up experience that leaves a
lasting impression on food lovers.

OUR MISSION:

To offer an exciting and indulgent day filled with good food, good music, and
great company for all food enthusiasts.

OUR VALUES:

Professional: Upholding integrity and excellence

Fun: Creating a lively and enjoyable atmosphere

Connected: Engaging with our community and visitors

Health: Prioritising hygiene and wellbeing for every guest

 

STRATEGIC OUTCOMES:

Be sustainable with financials, social connections, giving back to community, and environmental footprint

Be an integrated community-based event that is attractive to out-of-town visitors

Be lean and productive in our operations behind the scenes

Have an eye and ear to the future when it comes to innovation and responding to opportunities

Making visitors happy and have them returning year after year

 

 

We believe the Kāpiti Coast is an ideal location to host a food related event that attracts vendors from all around New Zealand.  This is evident in our growth over the years with 80 sites in 2012 to now operating within the terms of our Resource Consent of 250 vendor sites. The Mazengarb Reserve is an ideal location and it can handle growth for the future and meets event logistical needs.

Kāpiti Food Fair attracts local and regional visitors each year, usually 10,000+.  The Fair has been supported by the contestable Kāpiti Mayor Events Fund since 2016 and we hope for this to continue to help us achieve and iconic and sustainable event that Kāpiti can be proud of.

Positioning of the Fair continues to align itself to run the day before the popular Thorndon Fair in Wellington. There are many vendors that are influenced to attend particularly if they are from out of the region and they are registered to be at the Thorndon Fair the following day. The Fair continues to have aspirations to do what Martinborough has done for the art & craft industry in New Zealand, being, an iconic and enduring annual destination event that draws vendors, and visitors to a memorable event that provides a significant economic contribution to the region.

The Fair is a commercial event however we have a social agenda too.  The Fair owners work hard to support the Kāpiti Community Patrol, No 49 Squadron Air Cadets Kāpiti, Paraparaumu College and Work Ready Kāpiti by contracting their services to help run key logistics like setting-up and packing-down, parking, gate entry, and waste management.  We are also very grateful to ANZ Kāpiti who play a role on the day handling any cash.

We have a Waste Minimisation Strategy in-place to divert 80% to 100% of waste progressively from landfill commencing from 2019.  In 2025, we diverted an impressive 98% of waste from landfill.  Key people and volunteers include local business, Organic Wealth, and volunteers from the No 49 Squadron Air Cadets Kāpiti. The team is trained to sort through the waste generated during the event with a ‘fine tooth comb’, to separate all materials and ensure there is zero contamination in the recycling and organic waste bags or bins, creating a great waste diversion result for everyone involved to be proud of.  We thank everyone involved including visitors who are asked to dispose their waste into different bins and to our ready to eat vendors who are asked to use compostable serving materials.

THANK YOU you to our amazing Suppliers!

Accent Entertainment, Adrian & Marina Thomson, AJ Crawshaw & Crew, Ambrose Marketing, Andy Snaps, Anke Figur, ANZ Kāpiti, ANZ Merchant Services, ANZIL PartyPerfect Catering, AON NZ, APRA, Beach FM 106.3, Bianca-Rae Photography, Big Mac Slabs Furniture, Brendon King, Brien Electrical, Business Kāpiti, Cancer Society Kāpiti, Captured By Friday Photography, Coast Access Radio 104.7, Colbert Cooper, Colossal NZ, Connect Church, Corran Crispe, Creighton Design, Cuisine Magazine, Daizy Design Face Painting, Deb Martin, Eftpos NZ, Electra, Elemental Cider, Eventfinda, FastTrade, Fauldings Sound, First Security, Flightdec, FLSSH, Golf for Good, GSE Sound, GTB IT Solutions, Hayley Coetzee, Hanna Rauch Marketing, Hato Hone St John, Higgins Kāpiti, Hire Master, Horowhenua Chronicle, Humanitix, Ice Rescue, Jack Houlihan, James Auld, KAPINUA, Kāpiti Business Projects, Kāpiti Castles, Kāpiti Coast District Council, Kāpiti Community Patrol, Kāpiti Fire Service, Kāpiti Gymnasium, Kāpiti Ice Cream, Kāpiti News, Kāpiti Party Hire, Kāpiti Police, Kāpiti Pure Water, Kāpiti Turf & Pavilion, Keith Wood, Kia Ora Magazine, Kitty Fitton & daughters, Liv Johnstone & Football Crew, MailChimp, Max Weicherding, Mayor Holborow, Mediaworks, Menz Shed Kāpiti, Meta, Mike Pero Mortgages Zebunisso Alimova, Moore Visuals, MRL Power Solutions, MTF Kāpiti, New Zealand Coach Service, New Zealand Events Association, No 49 Squadron Air Cadets Kāpiti, NZME, Organic Wealth, Paraparaumu College, Paraparaumu Croquet Club, Peak Audio Productions, Phantom Billstickers, Promotional World, Rachael Broad, Rapid Temporary Fencing, Red Badge Security, Rob McCann, SeeMe Media, Serenity Harris, Sidney Sharp-Judge, SignCraft Kāpiti, Sonia Pratt, Sophie Pound, Soulhaven Creative Productions, Stretch Tents Wellington, Stuff, The Bond Store, The Herald, Trade Tested, Visit Kāpiti, Waikanae Golf Club & Larry Balloch, Warehouse Stationery, Waste Management, WellingtonNZ, Whittaker’s, Work Ready Kāpiti, ZEAL Kāpiti, Zapier.