Orange you glad for the hundreds of young Bay of Plenty students who make it their daily quest to keep children and pedestrians safe on the road around schools?

Today about 550 excited students decked out in eye-hurtingly bright orange fluro from 27 schools made a dazzling procession through the streets of downtown Tauranga for the Orange Day Parade.

The annual event celebrates the students' valuable contribution to road safety within their communities this year.

Each school also created individual banners safety messages which they unfurled and displayed during the parade to remind road users to be aware.

Pillans Point School student Lily Pearce, 10, says she was 'super excited” to be taking part in this year's Orange Parade.

'I really like being part of the school's road safety team,” she says. 'I became a road patroller because I wanted to help keep the kids at my school safe and also support the community to be safe too.”

The parade was opened by Western Bay of Plenty Police Inspector Karl Wright-St Clair with Tauranga MP and Transport Minister Simon Bridges (above).

Before setting off on the parade, Simon, who once upon a time was a road patroller himself, spoke to the crowd telling them, 'Today is about you kids”.

'It's a great chance for us to say congratulations and thank you for all of the hard work you have done this year on the school patrols, the walking busses and learning about road safety.”

Karl also thanked the young students for the contributions they have made to road safety in 2015.

Karl says each student has certainly made a difference to their community and police appreciates the hard work they have done, whether it be a bus monitor, safety monitor or road patroller.

'If you look at the children we have here they're all future leaders, and if you take the example of Simon Bridges, one day you're a road patroller and the next day you're an honourable MP.”

Starting on The Strand next to the waka, the procession wound its way through the CBD along Harrington St, Willow St, Grey St, Elizabeth St, Devonport Rd before returning to The Strand.

Then the crowd of children jumped on busses and departed for Baywave for a well-deserved swim and play.

The Orange Day Parade is run in partnership between New Zealand Police, Tauranga City Council, Travel Safe and Fulton Hogan.

Students from Pahoia School proudly display their Orange Day Parade banner. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

Pillans Point Students, from left: Arielle Van Blerk (11), Lily Pearce (10), Chloe Wright (10) and Halle Carr (10). Photo: Bruce Barnard.