Six reindeer Segway Personal Transporters (PTs) will be assisting Santa's Little Helpers run the 79th Farmers Santa Parade in Auckland tomorrow. These 'helpers' are of course the staff from Crackerjack Promotions, who organise this - the largest Santa Parade in New Zealand.

The Auckland Santa Parade features all the amazing pageantry, fun and surprises that have made this annual Auckland City extravaganza a perennial favourite. Heralding the start of the Christmas season, this beloved holiday parade features colourful grand floats representing the cultural diversity of today’s Auckland, lively marching bands, amazing character balloons, plus an appearance by Santa Claus!

This year, our Americas Cup challengers Emirates Team New Zealand will lead the parade as collective Grand Marshal from 2pm. Hundreds of thousands of children and adults are expected to turn out and line Queen Street and other downtown streets on what is forecast to be a beautiful, warm sunny day. But the staff of Crackerjack Promotions will have been up and about from dawn, running about getting exhausted gliding around with ease on six Segway PTs - ensuring all of the floats are lined up where they're supposed to be, the performers are ready to go, and all safety precautions are in place. Crackerjack Promotions have been hiring Segway PTs for Santa Parades since 2007, as well as for other events such as The Pink Star Walk during Breast Cancer Awareness Week. Using Segway PTs for Event Management is an excellent showcase of the benefits they deliver in terms of staff productivity, net efficiency, and public safety. Historic note: the first time a Segway PT was seen in a Santa Parade was when Philip Bendall and a friend rode New Zealand's first two Segway i167's in the 2003 Auckland parade. The following year, these Segway PTs were branded with local radio station regalia and promoted as a highly anticipated appearance in parades up and down the country - from Auckland to Christchurch.