Editorial: Parade builds pride in suburb

The Papamoa Santa Parade was a huge success

I headed along to Papamoa's Santa Parade on Sunday and was surprised by the size of the crowd that turned out for the inaugural event.

The streets were lined with hundreds of smiling families, watching the elaborate floats as they moved along Dixon Rd, before heading towards Palm Beach Plaza.

The organisers could not have asked for a better day to stage the event. The sun was shining and, after a wet spring, it felt as though summer has finally arrived. The good weather added to the festival atmosphere of the day.

A large number of people milled around the shopping area after the parade had finished, and those shops which elected to be open for the parade no doubt saw a big boost in their day's takings.

Event manager Katy Percy said she was blown away by the public response.

As a Papamoa resident myself, it is pleasing to see those living in the area get behind community events.

Credit is due to the group of 83 business and property owners who pay an extra half a per cent on their rates each year to help Papamoa Unlimited stage an array of events, including the parade, in the rapidly growing area.

Towards the end of 2013, the Bay of Plenty Times reported that the boom times had returned to the beachside suburb, where a new town of 7000 people is taking shape so quickly that sections are being sold off plans.

The developer driving the boom, Bill Miller of Bluehaven Management, said people were coming from all over the world - Germany, England and South Africa - to buy at Wairakei.

Despite the rapid growth, or perhaps because of it, there is a sense now that Papamoa is not just a collection of new housing developments but a community it its own right.

That's why events such as the weekend's successful parade, the Dinner in the Domain and Papamoa Little Big Markets are so important - they foster that sense of identity.