Why Gisborne Locals Wear Red Bands Everywhere
- Jun 6
- 3 min read
For visitors, one of the most surprising things about Gisborne is not the beaches, the sunshine or even the fact that the city sees the first sunrise in the world.
It’s the gumboots.
Not just any gumboots.
Red Bands.
And not just on farms.
In Gisborne, Red Bands are perfectly acceptable footwear almost anywhere.
The supermarket.
The farmers market.
The café.
The bakery.
The bottle store.
The petrol station.
Sometimes all in the same morning.
Visitors often assume the wearer has just come in from a farm.
That assumption is frequently wrong.
The owner may have spent the morning surfing at Wainui, grabbing coffee in town, watching rugby, walking the dog or doing absolutely nothing agricultural whatsoever.
The boots simply happen to be what they put on.
Gisborne’s Unofficial Dress Code
Every city develops its own style.
Auckland has activewear.
Wellington has black jackets and scarves.
Queenstown has expensive puffer jackets.
Gisborne has Red Bands.
The local uniform is wonderfully uncomplicated:
Red Band gumboots
Faded blue jeans or rugby shorts
Hoodie
Authentic Bob Marley T-shirt if available
Sunglasses
Seasonal variations are minimal.
The same outfit works in winter.
The same outfit works in summer.
The same outfit works if you’re heading to the farm.
Or if you’re heading for brunch.
Built for the Gisborne Lifestyle
Part of the appeal is practicality.
Changing footwear between activities during the day seems unnecessarily ambitious.
Red Bands are comfortable, durable, easy to clean and remarkably suited to an urban environment where people tend not to take themselves too seriously.
In many parts of New Zealand, gumboots are workwear.
In Gisborne, they are simply footwear.
The Farmers Market Fashion Parade
Nowhere is this culture more visible than the Saturday morning farmers market.
Among the artisan breads, organic vegetables and locally roasted coffee, you’ll find an impressive collection of footwear.
Tourists arrive in carefully selected holiday outfits.
Locals arrive in Red Bands.
Nobody gives it a second thought.
In fact, wearing expensive designer shoes to the farmers market may attract more attention than arriving in gumboots.
Sunshine, Shorts and Gumboots
Perhaps the most amusing part of the tradition is that weather appears largely irrelevant.
It can be pouring rain.
Red Bands.
It can be a cold winter morning.
Red Bands.
It can be a perfect 30-degree Gisborne summer day with clear blue skies.
Still Red Bands.
Seeing somebody wearing gumboots, rugby shorts and a singlet while carrying an iced coffee is not unusual.
It is simply Gisborne.
More Than Footwear
The Red Band has become something larger than a boot.
It represents a certain Gisborne attitude.
Practical.
Relaxed.
Unpretentious.
A little stubborn.
Entirely comfortable with being different.
Gisborne has never been a city overly concerned with fashion trends from Auckland, Sydney or London.
Locals tend to wear what works.
And for generations, Red Bands have worked.
A True Gisborne Icon
The city’s most photographed landmarks may be the Clock Tower, Young Nick’s Head, Wainui Beach and the surf clubs.
But there is a strong argument that the humble Red Band deserves a place on that list.
Because while visitors come to see the sunshine, surf and scenery, they often leave remembering something else entirely.
The city where people happily wear gumboots to buy coffee.
And nobody thinks that’s unusual.
