Protesting puppets get a slap on the wrist

Protesting puppets have received a slap on their papier mache wrists for carrying anti-war slogans in Whangarei's annual tall puppet parade on Saturday.

"It's not what it's about," Heat in the Street Festival co-ordinator Susy Bretherton said.

"It's a chance to have a bit of a giggle. If I had known they were going out with those signs I would have said, 'Sorry, that isn't the purpose of the parade'." Bryan Divers of Matapouri, whose group carried the protest signs, said the placards simply reflected an issue many Northlanders felt strongly about.

Some 1000 people turned out to watch the parade, in which 15 puppets 3m to 5m high took part.