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Some Changes...

We have a couple of big changes that we would like to share with our Marketplacers family.   Freeset:We at Marketplacers have been selling Freeset T-shirts and bags since the business began. It has been a privilege to promote the work and product of the Freeset businesses. Journeying with Freeset is something we will continue to do through their NZ distributor Liminal. Going forward, Freeset product will be available through the Liminal website www.liminal.org.nz The Loyal WorkshopWe h...

Level 3 - 50% Off Sale

Covid 19 has impacted business around the world. Now, more than ever, your purchase matters. It is only through the sale of their product that our suppliers can thrive. To show our support for the great work our partner businesses are doing, we are providing a special offer you can’t refuse. For the duration of level 3, we are reducing the prices of our Freeset range, including bags, aprons, scarves and T-shirts, by 50%. This is a massive saving! Check out the sale, and help us support free...

Alert Level 3

Marketplacers supports the Government's plans to Stay Safe and Save Lives. We are thrilled that soon we will be able to fill your orders and ship them out. As a business with an online store we have been listening to the Government guidelines and are planning for operations during Covid 19 Level 3. Here is what we can do as soon as Level 3 starts: We will have one healthy person access our storeroom in Penrose. Once there they will hygienically gather together the beautiful product you ord...

Buying From Us In Level 3

Marketplacers supports the Government's plans to Stay Safe and Save Lives. We are thrilled that soon we will be able to fill your orders and ship them out. As a business with an online store we have been listening to the Government guidelines and are planning for operations during Covid 19 Level 3. Here is what we can do as soon as Level 3 starts: We will have one healthy person access our storeroom in Penrose. Once there they will hygienically gather together the beautiful product you ord...

The Clothes Industry 7 Years On

In April 2013, thousands of people were trapped inside the Rana Plaza building, Bangladesh when it collapsed in the worst industrial disaster in the 21st century. Many were rescued by ordinary local people who risked their own lives crawling into the rubble to save them.. This tiny country has become the second largest producer of clothes in the world after China, transforming the country and providing employment for millions of people, most of them young women. Producing goods for several Briti...

Love Calcutta Arts

The doors and windows are shut at Love Calcutta Arts (LCA) work site and there are no jandals in the corridor. All the women are confined to their homes in Covid 19 lockdown. Thanks to strong ethics in this Freedom business these women have received their salary for March and know its coming for April. The fruit and vege markets however have not heeded their governments warnings and all produce has shot up in price – 3-4x higher than usual. LCA manager Priya is personally aware of these strugg...

A Kids Activity Kit

One of our jewelry suppliers, Starfish Project, has produced a short activity resource to help families through the Covid-19 lock-down. They have done this as a way of saying thanks for your support of them over the years, and that this is their way of them supporting you through the weeks ahead. You can access the activities via the following link;:https://starfishproject.com/7-fun-activities-to-build-connection-with-your-kids-during-covid-19/...

How Marketplacers product can help you cut your plastic footprint

Reducing our plastic footprint can be a great reason for a shopping spree! You can do this with Marketplacers knowing that you are not going to have any buyer’s remorse, buy junk or waste any money. In fact you can enjoy a nice fuzzy warm feeling inside knowing you have made a fair purchase. Here are some of our great options – they can all be found on www.marketplacers.co.nzShopping bags We just about have one for every letter in first half of the alphabet! Amity, Bounty, Everyday...

Clean washing, Greenwashing and Fairwashing

Who knew there were so many types of washing?! As consumers, we are constantly bombarded with information of how we should be spending our money. Advertisements do a great job of using buzz words that make us feel good about our purchases. But just how much do we really know about the products we are buying? Lets take a look at  some definitions, Cleanwashing What we all want when we pull our clothes out of the washing machine! Or when trying to get dressed in a hurry because we should ha...

Competition Time

Let us know what pieces you like in our Jewellery Collection through comments in our Facebook post, and you will go into the draw to win a $100 Marketplacers voucher plus free delivery on goods purchased using this voucher. Full terms and conditions below. Check out the full range of jewellery here POST YOUR COMMENTS HERE. The winner will be drawn at 2 pm, on the 2nd of April, 2020. Terms and Conditions of the Competition: 1. The promoter is Marketplacers International Ltd whose registered offi...

Freedom Businesses

Every group of people have their own special words, lingo, and abbreviations. A relatively new one in the world of Fair trade is Freedom Business. If you Google “Freedom Business definition” you won’t find a neat answer. There are sites about the World Bank Index measuring Business Freedom and various sites where Freedom and Business are used in the same sentence. For Marketplacers the term “Freedom Business” is a great way to describe our group of Businesses. These businesses set peop...

Jewellery Now Available Online

Eden and Starfish Project jewellery are now available for purchase on the Marketplacers website. Each piece of jewellery is not only beautiful in itself, but also represents a beautiful story of freedom and hope. For no fault of their own, women and girls across Asia are being sold and tricked into the sex trade. In response to this horrible practice, Eden and Starfish Project provide alternative employment options for those trapped in sexual slavery. Through their jewellery businesses, both Ed...

Behind the Scenes of your Basha Kantha Blanket

Ever wonder how your kantha blanket was made? Check out this video from Basha Boutique as they take you through the process from sari to blanket. We hope this video helps you appreciate the high quality of care that is taken by the team at Basha. ...

Mystery Boxes

We have been spring cleaning! Got some great end of line products to clear. We have made up some Mystery Boxes that are filled with undamaged, end line products from current and past Marketplacers partners. All products have been discounted by over  50%. Treat yourself to a surprise! VIEW THE FULL SELECTION HERE...

Shared Transformation

Lou and her family are Kiwi’s who spent two years with the team at The Loyal Workshop. Below is a reflection Lou wrote shortly before leaving South Asia. It is 9am and I’m sitting in the office of the workshop, tucked away in the lanes of Bowbazar. It is humid today, with monsoon rains likely to fall later. The damp air holds the scents of cooking spices, jasmine flower garlands used for prayer rituals, and the smell of cheap spirits distilled next door. Through the window’s open shutters ...

Bringing change to the Nepali community of Sonagacchi

Jaya* has witnessed many transformations within the Sonagacchi area. Most recently, she is excited by the changes she is seeing within Sonagacchi’s Nepali community. These changes have happened thanks to a Freeset Social Worker, Aisha*, who gathered together 7/8 Nepali girls and began to teach them a basic education of English, mathematics, Hindi etc. She also teaches drawing, crafting, singing and dancing.  It was not easy for Aisha to start this process however. As Aisha knew the Nepal...

Asha Rising

I came here many years ago from Murshidabad. My family was poor- my father worked as a daily labourer and my mother was a house-maker. I am the eldest of six siblings. When my father became older and grew sick our family became poorer. As the eldest daughter, I thought I should get a job to help the family. In search of work, I came to Kolkata and started work as a domestic helper, but I gradually realized the amount I was sending was not sufficient to bring up my brothers and sisters. To earn m...

Welcome Helen!

We have a new Sales and Admin Manager here at Marketplacers! Helen Futter joined the team earlier this month and is already putting her knowledge and experience to good use. Helen will be working 20 hours a week, and can be contacted on 09 526 6363 or [email protected] Want to know a bit more about Helen?Origins: Otamauri – a small spot in Hawkes Bay, inland from Hastings  but having lived in Whakatane for 20plus years I now consider this homeHobbies: watching DIY shows and hoping...

Plastic Free Solutions

Needing a plastic free solution for your next trip to the supermarket? Marketplacers have the answer! We have 3 pack Cotton produce bags, and cotton/jute shopping bags in stock. Inside our pack of cotton produce bags you will find 1x small, 1x medium and 1x large bags made of loose weave, light weight cotton with a cotton drawstring. These bags have been lovingly manufactured by the women at Love Calcutta Arts in India. Get rid of the plastic in your life and check out our online store for many...

Men’s Woolen Scarves Sale $20

Winter is here, and these woolen scarves will do just the trick if you are looking to be warm and toasty. Specifications: Material: 60% wool and 40% cottonColour’s available: Blue/White or Black/whiteSize: 216cm x 55cm (incl. tassels)Handwoven with hand twisted fringe These scarves are made in buildings renovated by Kiwi and Indian teams working side by side. Old picture theatres were transformed into manufacturing units with looms, light and laughter. Women making these scarves received fair ...

Balika's Story - Her Journey To Freedom

Article taken from www.freesetglobal.com Balika sends a special message to people around the world who are friends and supporters of Freeset: “Now that I have this work with Freeset, there is a better future for me and my family.” Balika lives in a village not far from Freeset Fabrics, having moved from the village where she grew up when she was married at the age of 13. Until recently, she had no choice in her life, which was full of struggle and pain. Her father was a farm labourer and her...

All about Basha

One of the ethical businesses that Marketplacers works with closely is Basha Boutique.  Basha Boutique is a business based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Robin Seyfert the founder of Basha, chatted with the team at The Décologist about why Basha exists and what they hope to achieve. This is a fantastic interview that showcases the wonderful impact that Basha has not only on the women themselves, but also for their children and families. Throughout the interview Robin walks the listener through the...

Woman’s Day Conversation

By Paul (This story was originally published by The Loyal Workshop and is republished with permission).We figured there was no better way to highlight women’s rights, equality and justice within our own community than by bringing together The Loyal Workshop’s women in a round table discussion. We gathered in the uppermost room at the workshop where they shared from their own experiences and perspective about what it’s like to be a woman in Kolkata, India. Here’s what they had to say in t...

A Glimpse Of Morning

It’s 9am and the sun is already high in the sky, stirring up life in the alleyways, releasing the many odours of the earth. Outside the front gate at number 172, a woman crouches over a bamboo stick, curved blade in hand, shaving off impossibly thin slices then splitting each of these into dozens of skewers. Two roosters peck through the breakfast scraps in the gutter and a man passes by with a push-cart full of golden mangoes. In the alley opposite the three-story Freeset building, a small ch...

Links Between Pornography And Trafficking

Thanks to NZ running star Nick Willis for shedding light recently onto the connection between porn and exploitation of women! As I’ve read the Herald and Stuff articles the past few days, however, the real eye opener for me were the comments on FB following the articles’ posts. They show that there is a LOT of education needed about exploitation and links to trafficking in the pornography industry. Comment after comment like this, “Yes these poor exploited porn stars being paid thousands o...