Sun 26 Feb 2017 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Auckland Pride Parade lead organiser Jonathan Smith says he is "exceedingly happy" with last night's parade which featured a record 61 entries and over 3,500 people. "We were really focused on ensuring the parade was really inclusive and we spoke with many groups about that in the weeks beforehand," he says. "We also orchestrated the order of the entries to ensure that there was a pattern to the parade, with big flashy floats spread out and smaller walking entries positioned to create a kind of 'rising and falling waves' pattern along the route." An anticipated protest action by transgender rights and prison abolition group No Pride In Prisons did not appear to eventuate although there was an unconfirmed report of two or three protesters with placards at some point of the route. However, GayNZ.com reporters who walked the entire route with the parade saw nothing to confirm that. The only disruption occurred near the starting point when a truck which was to have been a centrepiece of the Air New Zealand entry overheated while idling and the engine caught fire, a possibility all drivers of large, powerfully-engined vehicles moving at extremely slow speed for extended periods face. Smith says the extensive emergency services planning for the parade kicked in with a fire engine coming onto the parade route from the Three Lamps end. The truck was withdrawn and the Air New Zealand people marched primarily on foot. The parade retained the 7.30pm start time introduced last year to allow more floats to take advantage of opportunities for spectacular night-time lighting. "Unfortunately this year there were only about ten floats with lighting and we programmed them for the end of the parade in darker light but this meant that as the last few non-lit entries progressed they were darker than we would have wished," Smith says. St John Ambulance and the Fire Service were among organisations marching in the parade for the first time to show solidarity with glbti people. Political parties and banks were well-represented. Political or social comment was included with Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki taking a hit for his linking of the Christchurch earthquakes with increasing acceptance of homosexuality in society. The parade was formally sent on its way by drag queens, politicians, academics and social activists, most of whom were gay. Dykes on Bikes were among the acts and groups which kept the crowd, which was spread the entire length of the parade route, amused in the lead-up period and gay celebrities Buckwheat and Stephen Oates provided a running commentary for people gathered in the VIP viewing area at the Western Park end. Celebrity realtor Michael Boulgaris was amongst those who were highly impressed by the parade. "I was blown away by the professionalism, the cultures and the support shown for glbti people," he said. "I have gay friends who refused to come to the parade and I've been texting them telling them how stupid they were not to come!" An extensive collection of parade photographs by GayNZ.com community photographer Andrea will progressively appear in our Scene Pics section throughout the day.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 26th February 2017 - 9:22am