Auckland’s Queen St upgrade hampering Santa Parade and it could move to Ponsonby or Newmarket, says organiser

Farmers' Santa Parade in downtown Auckland is under threat from the Queen St upgrade. Photo / Hayden Woodward

It is getting near-impossible to hold Auckland’s Santa Parade on Queen St and it may have to move to Ponsonby or Newmarket, says the parade organiser.

Former National Party leader Simon Bridges, who inherited responsibility for the parade as new Auckland Business Chamber chief executive, said narrowing Queen St’s road width from 12-18 metres to 6m makes it difficult for floats to travel down it.

The narrower route and street lights jutting out pose problems for the higher floats, he said.

Bridges said another problem for this year’s 90th parade is the cost, saying the $1 million bill is getting harder to fund. Most of the money should come from the private sector, but public support from Auckland Council, council-controlled organisations and the likes of Heart of the City is decreasing, he said.

Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Simon Bridges and Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck have raised concerns about the Santa Parade no longer taking place in Queen St. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Speaking at today’s Project Auckland event organised by NZME, Bridges believed this year’s parade will take place on Queen St, but in future it may have to move, such as to Ponsonby or Newmarket.

Farmers’ annual Christmas parade typically attracts about 300,000 people. In 2019, it lost one of its iconic attractions - the giant fibreglass Santa built for Farmers’ flagship store in Hobson St in 1960 and moved to Queen St in 1998.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said council funding for the Santa Parade and Anzac Day had been removed from the list of proposed cuts in his cost-cutting budget, but was open-minded about its future.

“Nothing in the world is not allowed to change. It might be better in Ponsonby Rd. That’s where they have the gay parade,” Brown said.

Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck said it would be incredibly sad to lose the Santa Parade, saying her organisation had raised concerns with the council about the impact the changes to Queen St would have on big events.

“We get a lot of feedback about access to the central city and we want to welcome people,” she said.