In the newly-released budget more debt coincides with cutting down public spending. This is not a great macroeconomic situation. This is however, a consequence of microeconomic problems.
Economically, the reasons for economic downturns include capacity constrains, anti-competitive practices and under utilized resources.
The Otago Farmers Market is a great example of a microeconomic activity for Dunedin and albeit being a great market with many advantages, it is not prefect and it can be used to illustrated the above.
The Otago Farmers Market demonstrates:
1) capacity constrains: the market is limited in size and did not allow new businesses into the market. This capacity constrain will limit the growth and success of the market and will reduce the chances of the populace to buy locally made foods from local suppliers. The Otago Farmers Market will never be able to draw more people away from the foreign-owned supermarkets (Australian owned mostly) and cannot enhance future Dunedin growth without addressing its size-based capacity constrain.
2) anti-competitive practices: Here we notice that the Otago Farmers Market is run by a private trust, the Otago Farmers Market Trust. Therefore, the trust is allowing people from outside otago (Nelson, CHCH..etc) and refusing local Dunedinites from having a stall within the Dunedin Railway Car Park!! Moreover, the trust believes they own the entire site with a 300 m radius and are talking the law to their hands trying to ban people like Tamrtime from setting a stall at the vicinity of the Dunedin Raliway Station. This is an anti-competitive practice against locals by a private trust limiting economic activity. We can all appreciate the drive and spirit behind the competitive impulse, and we recognize that it yields productive gains for everyone. The primary motivation for businesses is profit, and if they are successful, they have not only served themselves but also society.
Yet, businesses sometimes urge the government to intervene when their competitors with the same goal pose a threat to them, and this is what the Otago Farmers Market Trust is doing. Allowing a trust owned by farmers to run the market means people outside the trust will be disadvantaged. To allow for better diversity and better choices and options we need producers to compete for our dollar. This allow growth and enhances market activity. The railway Station Car Park is like a street. It should be run by the public, for the public, all the public without banning any one access.
Thus, we need a better Otago Farmers Market and there is plenty of room for improvement.
There is nothing against people from outside Otgao selling their goods at Dunedin, unless the producers of Dunedin are banned… which is the sad case!!

South Canterbury Products at the Otago Farmers Market!
There are many potatoes at the farmers market, including potatoes from outside Otago, while producers of different products from Dunedin cannot sell their products at the Railway Station

Oamaru Potatoes!

Again, More non-Otago products at the Otago Farmers Market!
