There will be no veterans, service members or family marching down the centre of Hauraki’s streets on Anzac Day this year, after the Hauraki District Council decided against providing funding for the parades.
Instead, the Paeroa and Waihī RSAs will be marching along the footpath on April 25, while Hauraki RSA will follow its route from previous years, through Hugh Hayward Domain in Ngatea.
The council runs three Anzac civic services each year – in Paeroa, Waihī, and Ngatea town halls.
Although the preceding parades are managed by the RSA organisations and not the council, in past years the council has had a specific budget set aside for Anzac Day parades.
This funding allocation was removed during the council’s annual plan deliberations.
A report tabled at the council’s March 27 meeting showed Paeroa RSA requested $3475 of discretionary council funding for its parade; Waihī RSA requested $4075.
Hauraki RSA’s route through the domain does not require funding for traffic control.
At the meeting, the council decided the traffic management costs were too high, and instead opted to contribute $500 apiece to each RSA’s Poppy Fund.
“In recent years, the cost of road closures for Anzac civic services in our three main centres – Waihī, Paeroa and Ngātea, has risen significantly. At the same time, we’ve observed a shift, with more veterans and attendees choosing to gather in local halls rather than participate in the traditional march,” Hauraki Mayor Toby Adams said.
“In response, the council has decided to support the RSA in each town with a direct donation to the Poppy Fund.
“This ensures that our contributions provide tangible assistance to those who need it most while still honouring the spirit of Anzac Day.”
The council-led services in the halls will still run as expected.
Paeroa RSA president John Hallett said the RSA felt the parade should be a civic service.
“We will simply walk along to the town hall, it won’t be a formal parade… the council have decided they don’t want that cost,” he said.
“It’s a little bit too late to fundraise for it, [and] the RSA also is busy trying to get as many funds as they can to restore their dear old building in the near future, and so they don’t want to bear the cost. Next year might be a different story.”
Waihī RSA president Ellen Henderson said its members would proceed in formation along the street instead of up the middle of the road.
“It’ll only be two or three abreast, but we will carry on doing the march because that’s part of Anzac,” she said.
HAURAKI ANZAC SERVICES
PAEROA: 6am Dawn Service at the Primrose Hill cenotaph; 9.15am Civic Service at Paeroa War Memorial Hall.
NGATEA: 6am Dawn Service at Hauraki Plains College; 11am Parade from Hauraki RSA through Hugh Hayward Domain; 11.15am Civic Service at Ngatea War Memorial Hall.
WAIHĪ: 6am Dawn Service at Waihī RSA; 8am Wreath Laying at Waihī Cemetery; 9am Tunnelling Company Service at Gilmour Reserve; 11am Civic Service at Waihī War Memorial Hall.
