The Hero Parade was an (almost) annual gay and lesbian parade in

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which operated from 1992-2001. It was part of the Hero Festival. The Hero Parade and Festival usually took place in February, a week or two ahead of the

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest LGBT festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the ...

History

According to its original organisers, the Hero Parade was intended to foster a sense of community amongst

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

people, and acknowledge those who were fighting

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. The event was attended by more than one hundred thousand people annually, (and at its height, by as many as two hundred thousand). From 1992-1995, the Hero Parade procession took place on Queen Street, in the Central Business District of

. However, in 1996, it was relocated to Ponsonby Road. In 1998 the

Prime Minister of New Zealand The prime minister of New Zealand () is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Christopher Luxon, leader of the New Zealand National Party, took office on 27 November 2023. The prime minister (informally abbreviated to P ...

, Rt Hon

Jenny Shipley Dame Jennifer Mary Shipley (née Robson; born 4 February 1952) is a New Zealand former politician who served as the 36th prime minister of New Zealand from 1997 to 1999. She was the first female prime minister of New Zealand, and the first woma ...

, of the

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attended and spoke at the parade for the first time. Shipley was also present at the parade in 1999 The

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, Rt Hon

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had also attended the Parade several times. The Hero Parade was initiated with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Notable people who launched the parade included

Georgina Beyer Georgina Beyer (November 1957 – 6 March 2023) was a New Zealand Labour Party politician who represented Wairarapa in the Parliament of New Zealand from 1999 to 2005, after serving as mayor of Carterton from 1995 to 1999. Beyer was the worl ...

and Joe Hawke. The parade faced opposition advertising from an organisation called Stop Promoting Homosexuality International, prompting complaints to the

New Zealand Human Rights Commission The Human Rights Commission () is the national human rights institution (NHRI) for New Zealand, operating independently from direction by the Cabinet. Founded in 1977, the commission addresses issues of discrimination, equality, and human right ...

. Opposition also came from Deputy-Mayor David Hay, who attempted to have the parade cancelled. Despite being relatively well-attended, the Hero Parade faced financial pressures. In 1998, the Auckland City Promotions Committee voted against funding the Parade. A complaint against the Committee was made to the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, alleging "discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation". The Commission reported that it could not find any evidence of discrimination. Fundraising for the 1998 parade was carried out by Metro magazine. The 2000 Hero Parade was cancelled due to a lack of funding. The final Hero Parade took place in 2001. In 2002, the Hero Charitable Trust was believed to be in $140,000 debt. 2013 saw the return of the Hero festival as the Auckland Pride Festival for the first time in 12 years. The Auckland Pride Festival once again featured a parade along Ponsonby Road (during the day rather than at night), as well as a large closing party in the newly renovated Victoria Park.

References

External links

Photos - Te Ara, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Human Rights Commission comment on discrimination complaint (Google cache)

Hero Parade
(1998), hour-long TV broadcast, NZ On Screen {{LGBT in New Zealand Organised events in Auckland Pride parades in New Zealand Recurring events established in 1992 Recurring events disestablished in 2001 1992 establishments in New Zealand 2001 disestablishments in New Zealand Parades in New Zealand LGBTQ culture in Auckland

History

See also

References

External links