Cadets march through Tauranga to honour 20 years of service

More than 70 heads were held high as each cadet marched in unison down Tauranga streets to honour 20 years of service.

Friends, family and supporters watched on proudly as the Western Bay of Plenty Cadet Unit marched from 2nd Ave to the Tauranga Waterfront on Saturday to celebrate the unit's 20th birthday.

The Western Bay cadets were joined by other New Zealand Cadet Corp units and the Bay of Plenty Pipes and Drums Band, which led the charter parade with a strong chorus of bagpipes that echoed down the city streets.

Tauranga's deputy mayor, Kelvin Clout, said he was proud to review the charter parade, which followed down Devonport Rd and The Strand and finished at the waterfront.

Clout said the Western Bay cadets were involved in the clean-up operations of the 2005 flood which submerged areas of Tauranga and Matata and the Rena oil spill disaster in October 2011.

"It was a good opportunity to recognise the cadets' valuable services to the community," he said.

The deputy mayor appreciated the discipline that becoming a cadet gave the city's young people. "It sets them up for the future," he said.

A good crowd of people had turned out to watch about 70 cadets march proudly through the city for the 20th anniversary, Clout said.

"Friends and family of the cadets were proudly watching on," he said.

National Party leader Simon Bridges also attended the anniversary march.

"The cadets have been going 20 years in Tauranga and are very important because it allows New Zealanders to learn valuable attributes such as discipline, service and teamwork," he said.

In 2008, the Western Bay of Plenty Cadet Unit received the Charter of the City of Tauranga on the unit's 10th birthday. A Charter of the City allows the unit parade through the city with drums beating, colours flying, and swords drawn.

The New Zealand Cadet Forces is a voluntary military-style training organisation for New Zealand youth.

Run in a partnership between the New Zealand Defence Force and a number of locally appointed community organisations, it is composed of the Sea Cadet Corps, the New Zealand Cadet Corps and the Air Training Corps.