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Making Christmas magic with Resene paint

For anyone who grew up in Tāmaki Makaurau, attending the Farmers Santa Parade was a rite of passage. Jostling through the crowds to find that perfect spot, the sounds of the bagpipes filling the air and the thrill of watching all the brightly coloured floats cruising past, anticipation building for the grand finale of the big guy in red.

For more than 50 years, these floats have been created by one man: Peter Taylor. He designs and builds each moving masterpiece and has been harnessing the vibrant power of Resene paint to bring them to life for three decades.

His creativity, artistry and building expertise helps bring joy to Aucklanders of all ages during the festive season and he’s regarded as a true legend by those who have had the pleasure of working alongside him over the years.

It all began when Peter left school and started work at the Farmers display department. “Part of our job was to go and work on the Santa Parade and in 1972, I made my first float,” he says. A year later he got the callback to do it all again, and the rest is history.

The magic happens deep beneath the Auckland CBD in a massive 1400sqm workshop where Peter’s creative concepts are brought to life. “It’s a huge area where all the floats are kept. We’ve got about 30 big floats in here, it’s almost like a calendar of my life,” he shares.

Peter Taylor has been building floats for the Farmers Santa Parade for 50 years and couldn’t do it without the vibrancy and durability of Resene paint.

Peter's enormous float space in central Auckland resembles Santa's workshop, filled with fun and festive designs.

In the early days, Peter crafted the floats from papier-mâché, wire and wooden frames and it wasn’t until the early 1980s that he was able to start using much more robust building methods, constructing floats from plywood, polystyrene, polyurethane and fibreglass.

“When I look back, I think, gee, did we really used to make them out of that?” he laughs. “The floats are much more permanent now to what they used to be, and the paint in particular is one of the keys.”

Peter says it’s been a process and that a lot was learned in the early years – mainly by trial and error – and that the vibrancy of the colours is key.

“Bold colours are important – and that’s where Resene paints come in, as they are essential to create impact. I think Resene paints are one of the most important ingredients for a successful float for Parade Day. The floats need to be big and bold, as they pass by quickly and small details are lost. A couple of good coats of Resene Lumbersider helps to preserve them in case of inclement weather.”

While every colour of the Resene rainbow has been used across his floats – and the prototype mini models of each – Peter has his firm favourites. “Resene Guardsman Red, Resene Turbo and Resene Resolution Blue – these colours are like family members of mine.”

The floats have been built in many different locations over the course of his career, generally as close to Queen Street as possible. “Being close to the parade route makes traffic control easier on the day,” Peter explains. “Parade day is always stressful, even after all these years. Waking up at 4am and seeing the stars shining in a clear sky always comes as a relief.”

Peter has been bringing the floats to life with Resene paint for 30 years and says that his most used and favourite Resene colours have become like family members.

Peter’s big, bold favourite paint colours include Resene Guardsman Red, Resene Turbo and Resene Resolution Blue.

Peter makes a scale model of each design to show what the float will look like, and these become the template for the full-sized build.

As the annual parade draws nearer and the days tick along, time is of the essence.

“It gets stressful at this time of year because you want to do the best you can – I have a problem with trying to put too much detail in, I haven’t got time. You’ve got to know when to stop and move onto the next one,” he says.

But what exactly is it that has kept Peter at the helm all these years, toiling away behind the scenes to bring the magic of Christmas to Auckland’s children? It’s family.

“What keeps me going is my kids, grandkids and the people around me seem to love it. I’m pretty proud that I’m still here and I’m still doing it.”

In today’s stressful world he says it’s an experience everyone can enjoy. “The fun that it generates and the happiness that it generates. It’s one big event that actually costs nothing that people absolutely love.”

Although it can get stressful as the day of the parade draws closer, Peter says that the joy it brings to his kids, grandkids and people around him keeps him going.