Any other day of the year, a boy wearing pink clothing to school would be the subject of some unwanted attention from classmates.
But it did not seem to faze any of the boys at Dunedin North Intermediate yesterday when pupils - girls and boys - dressed in pink.
The key message of the day for them was to stand together and stop bullying.
For wearing pink, the pupils collected more than $200 for the Dunedin Chat Bus - a free, mobile counselling service for children under 14.
People across the country wore pink yesterday to show a united front against bullying, and vowed to work together to find solutions to the issue.
Youthline Manukau Centre manager Hannah Sellars said each year up to 2500 young people contacted Youthline's national 0800 helpline and free text service for support around bullying. She believed there were plenty more who had not yet been able to reach out.
She said everyone had the power to ask for help, and organisers hoped Pink Shirt Day would encourage those who were experiencing bullying to reach out and tell someone they trusted.
This year Pink Shirt Day fell on the same day as the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
