The 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment will exercise its Freedom of Entry to the Tararua District with a Charter Parade in Dannevirke on Saturday 5 December.

The parade will take place from 11am to 12pm, with soldiers marching from The Hub on Allardice Street before turning left onto High Street.

As part of the traditional ceremony, the soldiers will be met by the constabulary and required to present their credentials before being granted permission to continue their march through the town.

The parade will then proceed along High Street, where the soldiers will be formally reviewed by His Worship the Mayor, Scott Gilmore.

The Charter Parade is a long-standing military tradition that recognises the special relationship between a military unit and a community. Being granted the Freedom of Entry gives the unit the right to march through the town with drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed – a mark of the trust and respect between the military and the community.

Mayor Scott Gilmore says, “The 10th anniversary of Tararua District Council provides an opportunity to celebrate this relationship and recognise the important connections that have been built between the New Zealand Army and the Tararua community.”

Members of the public are warmly invited to line High Street and watch the parade.

High Street, Dannevirke, will be closed to vehicles from the Denmark Street intersection, through to the Swinburn Street intersection, from 10:30am – 1:30pm.

The Charter Parade will be followed by the Dannevirke Christmas Parade and Market Day, giving the community the opportunity to continue the celebrations in the heart of Dannevirke.