Gay pride parade may return to Auckland

A gay pride parade may soon return to the streets of Auckland.

Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye has been working on plans to bring a gay pride festival to the city next year, more than 10 years after the annual Hero Parade was canned because of mounting debts.

Her support for the event grew after a person told her of being harassed with his partner while walking down Ponsonby Road.

"We think just having that celebration every year does give people that opportunity to reflect and raise the level of awareness and tolerance," she told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking.

But Auckland mayor Len Brown says he doesn't have time to get overly involved with the debate about the return of a gay pride festival.

Mr Brown says there was plenty of talk about a possible parade at yesterday's Big Gay Out.

"We'll work through that in the next few weeks and months and I suspect an opportunity for a more public debate, but not at this time, I'm just flat out focusing on transport and rates at the moment."

Nikki Kaye says we'll know in three or four months if it's a goer.

Photo: John Key at yesterday's Big Gay Out (NZ Herald)