Media release

Tuesday 28 August

More than half of Wellington’s primary schools will be represented at this year’s Orange Day Parade on Friday 7 September – in a mass celebration of our school road patrols.

The march from Parliament is held to celebrate and acknowledge the hard work of school traffic safety teams who are out rain or shine to help students cross the road and get to school safely.

Over 1400 students will march from Parliament along Lambton Quay and Willis Street to Wakefield Street, and then enjoy a celebration at the Michael Fowler Centre hosted by Wellington City Council.

Wellington Mayor Justin Lester says the number of students regularly walking to school in Wellington is increasing, making the role of school traffic safety teams more important than ever.

“We have 53 schools with patrols at school crossings and the patrollers help around 14,000 students to cross the road safely. It’s a massive achievement for Wellington and they should quite rightly be proud of what they do”.

Wellington School Community Officer Aaron Dann, who trains road patrollers, says they make a big contribution to keeping our school communities safe during one of the busiest times on the roads.

“School patrollers are out in all weathers, doing a great job keeping their peers safe. Orange Day is an opportunity for Wellingtonians to acknowledge the job they do for road safety, and it’s also a reminder that drivers should slow down and be alert when passing schools,” he says.

This year, schools will be competing for prizes such as best banner, best presence in the parade and the hotly contested best school patrol.

The event is coordinated by Wellington City Council and NZ Police, and is supported by Jacobs, Tranzit Coachlines and Pak'n’Save Kilbirnie.

A rolling road closure will be provided by the Police from 10am – 10.45am. Please follow their instructions, and expect some delays along the parade route.

ENDS

© Scoop Media