[Nelson] The 25th annual Mapua Easter Fair was held in the small village of Mapua, on the South Island of New Zealand. For the second year in a row, enthusiastic practitioners prepared a mouth-watering variety of vegetarian foods for this large fair where 12,000 to 15,000 people were expected to attend.

Our display of Master’s sample books and Alternative Living flyers was prominently positioned in front of our stand, and it created a great deal of interest. Many people were relieved to find us, as we were the only vegetarian food stand at the fair. Others were delighted to try vegetarian food for the first time. We had many opportunities over the course of the day to speak to people about becoming vegetarian and provide tips on how to prepare and cook vegetarian food.

One woman told us she had been at a loss to know how to bake cookies for her three-year-old grandson who was vegan and diabetic; she was extremely happy to learn how easy it could be. Another woman who is involved with a group of people living as gypsies and traveling around New Zealand was very keen to find out how to become vegetarian. She was also interested in cooking tasty food to sell at their fairs instead of meat-based food. We suggested a cooking lesson with our group and she was very appreciative.

Some of the people who stopped at our booth also came from different countries. For example, several Americans came by to buy our food and thanked us for being there. Some were longstanding vegetarians and were also involved in animal rights. Along with the Alternative Living flyers, we produced and offered complimentary CDs of the computer-downloadable movie, “Meet your Meat” (http://www.goveg.com/factoryFarming.asp.) Many copies were taken. We were all hopeful that after watching the gruesome and heart wrenching facts about the ill treatment of animals that many more people will become vegetarian.

As New Zealand is a meat and dairy producing country, it seems even more important to share the message of Alternative Living. We all felt very encouraged by people’s enjoyment of the healthy and tasty vegetarian food and were further heartened to see how many people who spoke to us came back again and again for more food and information.