Auckland Pride: Huge turnout, jubilation as march comes full circle

Saturday, 8 February 2020

Auckland Pride - Our March had 7000 people marching up Queen St in Auckland's CBD celebrating their community.

The Auckland Pride march has doubled its turnout amid praise for a reinvigorated focus on queer issues.

Now in its second year, organisers estimated at least 7000 people marched from Albert Park to Aotea Square via Queen St, up from 3500 at the inaugural 'Our March'

It started in Albert Park beneath the statue of Queen Victoria, where in 1972 New Zealand's first gay liberation protest began.

Ngahuia Te Awekotuku speaks beneath the statue of Queen Victoria in Albert Park.

One of the key leaders of that original protest, Ngahuia Te Awekotuku, led the march nearly 40 years on.

**READ MORE:

Marchers heading up Queen St under Pride flags.

* Auckland Pride 2020: Your festival event guide

* Auckland Pride 2020: A year on from police uniform ban, parade won't return

West Papua's Morning Star flag flies along side the tino rangatiratanga, United Tribes, Pride and Samoan flags, as a woman blows a Conch shell.

* 'By us, for us': Auckland Pride march takes over central city

* Wellington rainbow community divided over uniformed police in parade

There was a strong Pacific continent in the march

* Rainbow police car a 'cynical, two week-long PR stunt', Pride Festival organiser says**

Speaking beneath the statue on Saturday afternoon, Te Awekotuku (71), drew frequent applause when describing the difficult early days of the liberation struggle.

The Pride and United Tribes flags were among many visible.

'We were brave, we were mad, we were bold and we were fabulous.

'There were only a tiny number of us that were silly, or committed, or tragic or drug-addled, or courageous enough to stand up and say: 'This is my life and I will claim space for myself'.'

A group of Taiwanese indigenous people participated in the march.

She then led the massed crowd along Princes St then down Bowen St and Victoria St East onto Queen St.

The crowd stretched blocks as it made its way up to Aotea Square for an all-ages concert.

Again noticeable in 2020 was the absence of corporate floats or uniformed police officers among the marchers, a common sight at the pride parade in Ponsonby Rd in previous years.

Controversy erupted in 2018 when, after several hui, the Auckland Pride Board disallowed police from marching in their uniforms.

The march stretched more than a block as it headed up Queen St.

A range of corporate sponsors including big banks withdrew their support and the traditional parade down Ponsonby Rd was replaced with a smaller march in the central city.

However, uniformed police will march in a new Auckland pride parade in February 29, organised by Rainbow Pride Auckland in response to the controversy.

An estimated 7000 people marched down from Albert Park towards Queen St during the Pride march in Auckland.

Jess Holly Bates (left) and Ellie Moloney in Albert Park just before the march began.

In Albert Park before the martch are (from left) Elise Sayer, Morgana Moody and Scarlett Storey.

Leilani Thompson-Rikys and Atama Thompson.

Those spoken to by Stuff were not concerned at the absence of uniformed police marching or corporate sponsorship.

'They still have a lot of work to do,' said Ellie Moloney of the police attitude towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA) people.

Molly Black, of transgender support and advocacy organisation Gender Minorities Aotearoa, had travelled up from Wellington for the march.

Black said they had consulted with gender diverse people on the matter who wanted the focus to be on queer people and issues.

'Overwhelming, they want the focus to be on Pride, and not corporations and organisations like the police.'

Tristan Verran (stage name Tommy Poppers) is a director of Margate Pride in England. He heaped praise on Auckland Pride.

Many Pride events overseas had been co-opted by corporates to burnish their image, in his view.

He was glad Auckland's had returned to its roots.

'I think this is exactly what our community needs.'

Auckland Pride Director Max Tweedie said he was thrilled with how the march went.

'It was phenomenal, it was wonderful, it was community-centred, community-led, energetic, celebratory, talked about the issues that matter to our community.

'Ngahuia Te Awekotuku is such an integral piece of Aotearoa's queer history, and to have her leading the march with some of her whanau .. was just fantastic.'

The Auckland Pride Festival continues on Sunday with the Ending HIV Big Gay Out.