Around 1000 primary and intermediate students take to the Mount Maunganui streets for the annual Traffic Management NZ Orange Walk on Thursday, November 27.

The TMNZ walk celebrates the dedication of Travel Safe and Travel Smart students, bus monitors and road patrollers who work tirelessly throughout the year to keep their peers safe on the journey to and from school.

Among the participants is Year 6 student Imogen from Suzanne Aubert Catholic School, who is a travel safe leader and road patroller.

Imogen and her classmates have been hard at work since Term 3, designing a banner for the Orange Walk.

Their message – “Don’t text or you’ll be next” – shines a spotlight on the dangers of texting while driving, a risky behaviour Izzy has seen often while on road patrol.

“When we’re on road patrol, everyone is sitting on their phones and not paying attention when the traffic starts moving again,” said Imogen.

“Our banner shows the consequences of texting and driving.”

Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the Orange Walk was a chance to spotlight the important work students such as Izzy were doing in their communities.

“TMNZ Orange Walk is an opportunity for student road safety volunteers from across Tauranga and the Western Bay to get out in public with their colourful banners and show the community what a great job they’re doing,” said Drysdale.

“It’s wonderful to see the community, councils, police and schools all come together to celebrate road safety. The Orange Walk is more than just wearing orange and waving banners – it’s a celebration of student leadership, community spirit and a shared commitment to safer roads.”

The walk begins at 9.30am from Coronation Park, looping along Maunganui Rd and the Pacific Averoundabout.

The school groups will walk alongside NZ Police and Travel Safe, assisted by Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, and supported by sponsor TMNZ.

The community’s encouraged to head out and cheer on the young road safety champions.

The schools’ banners will be judged for their creativity and impact by representatives from the city Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, New Zealand Police and Aurecon today, with winners announced on the day of the walk.

Travel Safe was a team within the city council that delivers road safety education across Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty.

View details about the temporary road closures on the day here.