More groups quit parade
Exactly how many floats will be in next year’s Auckland Pride Parade remains unknown as organisations continue to withdraw their support.
Vodafone New Zealand’s Rainbow Wha¯ nau pulled out of the celebration yesterday, confirming it was supporting police.
The New Zealand Defence Force has axed its attendance while the Rainbow New Zealand Charitable Trust has pulled its funding in response to the Pride board’s decision to ban uniformed police from marching at the event.
The parade’s board chair Cissy Rock yesterday said it was committed to holding the event.
“The 2019 Auckland Pride Parade was always intended to be a place to cultivate our roots in activism. We have always welcomed . . . institutions who wish to participate in a way that works for the safety of all members of our Rainbow community,” Rock said. “Unfortunately, institutions such as the police were not able to compromise with the Pride board despite months of consultation with the community that highlighted [more needed to be done] for participants to feel safe with the police’s presence in the parade.
“The Pride Parade is so much more than its corporate sponsors or government institutions. It is about our Rainbow community coming together to both celebrate and fight for a future where everyone is free from systemic discrimination.”
A Vodafone Rainbow community spokesperson said they were hopeful the Pride board would change its mind.