Around 400 marching police officers - and dogs - took part in the inaugural Auckland police "pay parade" along Queen Street this morning.
The pay parade is a ceremony reflecting an earlier time when police officers had to turn out smartly presented in order to collect their fortnightly wages ortheir pay was docked. They all used to march from their respective barracks.
Several other regions around the country have held pay parades already but today's was a first for the Northern Region and was attended by Auckland Mayor Len Brown and Police Minister Judith Collins.
Police pipe band drum major and Superintendent Emery saluted the Deputy Commissioner Viv Rickard in the formal and solemn parade and the RNZN Band played God Defend New Zealand.
The Minister then inspected the parade's participants, including the police pipe band and the dog section.
Police public affairs spokesperson Darragh O'Riordan said the event was well received, but it was unclear if it would be an annual parade.
The tradition of police filing to collect their pay in envelopes died out with electronic banking but a number of police regions have organised the parades as a special event.
