Golliwogs for sale, but no photos of them allowed at the Hāwera A and P show on Saturday in Taranaki

A Taranaki parade float featuring people in blackface, which caused outrage across the country at the weekend, was awarded second place by parade judges, it has been revealed.

Organisers of the Hāwera A&P Show have promised to review their vetting procedures following Friday's event, in which the Hāwera Mt View Lions Club netted a $300 win.

The group has since been stripped of both the podium spot and the money following nationwide backlash at its costume choice.

GLENN JEFFREY / Stuff Hawera Lions Club chair Jan Babington and Ngāti Ruanui kaiarataki Debbie Ngarewa-Packer discuss the Lions Club choice to use black face paint in their parade float.

On Monday, South Taranaki mayor Ross Dunlop said "considering the situation" there had been a review of the results.

It was unknown how many floats participated in the Egmont A&P Association parade, but Dunlop said "it would have been inappropriate" for the Lions Club to retain second place.

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DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER The Hāwera Lions Club's float in the A&P Show on Friday, November 16, 2018, featured people in blackface.

Richard Brewer, of Egmont A&P Association, confirmed the group would not be receiving any money.

He issued a formal apology and said the event was meant for the community to enjoy and be proud of.

"We sincerely apologise for the upset caused by the Hāwera Mount View Lions' float in our parade," he said in an emailed response to questions.

The parade entry form states floats deemed unsuitable by the association would not be permitted to participate, but questions about the vetting procedure or what the association considered inappropriate went unanswered.

Brewer did say, however, there would be a review of the group's system.

"We will use this experience as a learning for the way we organise our event in the future."

Blackface was and is a form of makeup used predominantly by non-black performers to represent a caricature or stereotype of a black person.

Originating in the United States in the early 19th century, blackface was used in minstrel shows, which featured comic skits, music and dancing to mock people of African descent.

Six people, including a child, painted their faces black and sat among black and white balloons on the Lion Club float as it rolled through Hāwera.

There has since been an outpouring of shock and anger, something the club's chair, Joy Babington, initially defended, claiming it had not been a racist move.

Club president Stephanie Jordan later issued an apology, saying it was not their intention to offend anyone and that their actions had been naive.

The club also welcomed a meeting with local iwi to discuss protocol.

Ngāti Ruanui kaiarataki Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, who has spoken of her disbelief in the "offensive" and "racist" float, said it was not an iwi issue.

"It's a global issue," she said.

"This isn't a Māori saying 'you shouldn't do this', this is us as a community acknowledging the pain of another race and we should be checking each other."

Ngarewa-Packer said there was a "bubble" of people who had not moved with the times.

This was further demonstrated when she spotted a stall selling golliwog dolls at the Hāwera A&P show, run by the same group responsible for the parade, on Saturday.

"They were all wearing servant clothing...it's a stereotyping and it's not good to have these sorts of things selling around children."

Ngarewa-Packer said the dolls, which first appeared in children's books in the 19th century and were inspired by blackface entertainers, were dressed as servants and waiters in overalls and aprons.

She said there were no dolls dressed as doctors or nurses.

"The dolls captured a period of time that degraded Africans."

Ngarewa-Packer said following a complaint the stall-holder refused to stop selling the Golliwogs, and instead erected a "no photographs" sign above her stall.

Hāwera's mayor said both incidents were inappropriate but were never intended to offend.

"I can understand why people are upset and we obviously do need more understanding of each other and histories and culture," Dunlop said.

"It's important that we learn from this."

He denied claims the town was racist.