About Us
Whole Health. Whole Food. Whole Life.
WholeyHealth! is not-for-profit - and is not a “health shop”.
It is a Community Market space with a “Think Global, Act Local” kaupapa.
Simplicity and aroha for people and the planet are at it’s heart - improved health and wellbeing are just natural bi-products!
Join us as a regular member to enjoy exclusive co-op discounts, and become a part of our thriving village market and community spaces.
Embrace the spirit of community and quality products at our unique market - where everyone is not just a visitor, but a valued member of our extended village family. Every visit is an opportunity to connect, share, and savour the essence of our unique market.
Whangarei
Love it Here!
Our vibrant and busy co-operative village market is nestled just outside of Whangarei in the charming community of Whakapara.
Whether you're a local looking for fresh, locally sourced goodies, organic and fair trade items or a traveler passing through, our doors are open to all.
If you are about 50-ish you will just be able to remember a time when supermarkets were a fraction of the size they are today - Mum's generally went to a local butcher for meat, a green grocer for veges, a fish shop for locally caught fish and a delicatessen for the special extras like salami's, ham, cheeses, pickles, etc. Most of us had thriving vegetable gardens and fruit trees.
We did have cakes but they were home made, and lollies, potato crisps, and the like were a treat not a dietary requirement. The days we missed school for illness in total could probably count on one hand - certainly less than two hands!
It was a time when we all knew our neighbours, and local businesses thrived (and were the normal), small towns were busy communities, and leaving the city you could find "drive-in" vegetables and fruit in each direction of travel. "Hand-me-down" clothes and recycling was normal, and we all knew how to garden, sew, knit, fish and swim. We didn't rush so much and there was time for whanau and meaningful connection.
Somewhere we lost connection with our food, started rushing and lost our sense of community.We watch as our supermarkets grow larger and our people become sicker, our small towns feel sad, scruffy and abandoned, and local growers become scarce.
At WholeyHealth! we only source:
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From locals whom we have a relationship with
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spray-free and organically produced food, products and craft as much as possible - but we are also realistic about challenges and demands that local growers/producers face. Sustainability is important and so is accessing real food
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Organic and/or fair-trade is a standard for everything we stock that is not produced locally or in NZ. Trade is still important in connecting us all as humans, so we reach out for those products from reputable NZ based importers. These importers have social and environmentally-focussed supply chains.
We hope that this website and our Village Market, located in Whakapara, Northland, will help you to bring simplicity and joy back into your lives - that you will enjoy food and products that naturally taste good and nourish you. That same food will nourish you, your family and friends in more ways than one as we connect and build sustainable communities, enjoy our families and slow down!
Everything we need to live our best life, and improve our health, is very simple - and actually provided for free by life itself! These are summarised on this site as "8 Essentials for Whole Health".
But of course, we all know these things as they are written on our hearts and in our memories from the experiences, stories and wisdom of the generations and cultures that travelled before us.
Embrace a culture of life - dare to live in gratitude and not fear - reach out and touch your community, and then watch the ripple effect!