Members of the Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce have been on a mission to revitalise the town's annual Christmas parade to give it the prestige it deserves.
"We want everyone to have pride in our parade and feel as though we've really acknowledged the time and effort they've put into their floats," Chamber of Commerce member Suresh Patel said.
New shields for the winners, complete with a full record of previous winners, have been unveiled and have been a combined effort by Mr Patel, Roly McLean, Dannevirke's new engraver on High St, and Matthew Jensen, who made the shields while on work experience with chamber member and builder Hamish Illsley.
Matthew is currently at UCOL in Palmerston North undertaking pre-trade training before obtaining a joinery apprenticeship and has been working two days a week with Mr Illsley, where he's made the new rimu shields, before helping with a house-build.
"We've cut out rimu and shaped and routed them so Mr McLean could attach new gold or silver shields," he said.