Wow that is so interesting, when going out to Pukekohe now there doesn't look like many growers as there used to be 10-20 years ago, all the best stuff still comes from Pukekohe.
The markets are different also as there are only a handful of farmers markets left that the actually farmers attend to sell their products.
If I remember rightly these Pukekohe, Clevedon, Auckland, Ponsonby, and a few others, the rest the sellers buy from the farmers to sell, there will be a hand full of farmers, but the markets are open for everyone to sell what ever, than just home grown and hand made products as the Farmers Markets.
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It used to be just the Auctioneer and the buyers, very quick, each box was called by the grower's name, a couple of bids, sold, and onto the next box.
The buyers were the shops, greengrocers etc, no civilians unless they bought a whole box of whatever it was
5 to 6 am was to early for them as well.
A very busy, noisy place, very confusing, and once was enough for me.
The few growers left in Puke are the big guys, lots of acres, large machinery, and grow to the Woolworths / New Worlds demand, and price.
They are told how much they will get before the seed in put in the ground.
With spuds, if it was a good year they would try and down grade the crop on its way into the factory, "it is not up to scratch, either dump the ton boxes or we will give you a quarter of the agreed price". In a bad year, they would charge the grower for not supplying the contracted quantitys
When the price goes up in the shops the extra doesn't find its way back to the grower.
It's really sad what it has become, it's all about convenience for customers, slowly the farmers are coming online, so hopefully it will get easier for customers to get directly from them without the middle man, so the farmers can get the extra profits.
Many years ago I remember seeing a documentary or something on tv about a grower from Puke and how they have had to change over the years from the demands to survive.