The New Zealand police, New Zealand Defence Force and numerous major sponsors have pulled out of the country’s largest pride parade after organisers banned police and corrections staff from marching in uniform. Auckland pride parade organiser Cissy Rock said uniformed officers would not be welcome at the February parade, as the organisation had a long way to go in terms of respecting LGBT rights, and some march participants felt unsafe marching alongside uniformed police and corrections staff. “If members from our community are highlighting concerns around discrimination by those institutions, we expect them to work to address them, and that may include making compromises regarding their participation at the pride parade,” Rock said in a statement.