Auckland City’s Farmers Santa is back on the Whitcoulls Corner

Buoyed by rousing endorsement from the public of Auckland, a refreshed and revitalised Farmers Santa has made his much anticipated return to his perch on the Whitcoulls corner in the CBD.

The city's iconic and much loved Father Christmas has been under the knife since you last saw him but is now in place high on his perch above one of the country's busiest intersections.

After months of plastic surgery at a secret Auckland location, Santa and some yet-to-be-identified helpers are soon to be unveiled on Whitcoulls Corner in Queen Street – thanks to Heart of the City, Auckland City Council, long time Santa champion Farmers and Whitcoulls.

St Nick requires some post-operative care, so his new look will not be obvious until the bandages are removed.

Santa surgeons, Bootleg Design team have spent around 4,000 man-hours on the restoration of Santa's face and the new additions.

A team of six have been working on the project for around 16 weeks. It's a huge operation when the patient is almost 20 metres high. And of course, we need to ensure he remains where he is for the duration of the festive season.

We are not saying exactly what the surgery involved or who will be joining the Farmers Santa on the Whitcoulls corner but you may recall we asked Aucklanders last year if they wanted Santa to return for 2009 and they voted overwhelmingly in favour. We have also taken on board some suggestions and comments from various parties on his appearance.

And now, thanks to the generosity of Farmers and Whitcoulls and a meaningful makeover, Santa is back on his customary perch

Farmers head of marketing Dean Cook says the company is delighted to again be a partner in bringing to town the iconic symbol of the festive season.

“Farmers is 100 years old this year and Santa made his debut on our big Hobson Street store in 1960. Couple that with our instigation of the Farmers Santa Parade in 1934 and we think they're a couple of great reasons to help Father Christmas make his comeback.”

The new display will be dramatically unveiled on Sunday November 22 at 1.30 pm on Whitcoulls Corner. Don't miss it.