We are dedicated to building Rainbow communities in Aotearoa New Zealand free of family, partner and sexual violence. Our work is underpinned by an acknowledgment of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the impact of colonisation on understandings of sex, sexuality and gender diversity in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura asks us to cultivate peace based on loving and equitable relationships in the Rainbow community through strengthening our social networks – with partners, other Rainbow people, our families, whānau and wider communities. Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura invites our communities to respect one another for all that we are.
Outing Violence encourages the naming of all kinds of violence towards Rainbow people as unacceptable. Because of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, Rainbow experiences of partner violence and sexual violence may not be seen as important. It can be hard to name the ways abusive behaviour happens in our relationships and families.
We take a community development and research-based approach to prevent family, partner and sexual violence in Rainbow communities, and improve responses after people have experienced violence. We work in partnership with violence agencies, Rainbow communities and policy makers, including offering training, advice and support.
Who is involved?
Our work is governed by an organising group of 11 people with diverse belongings to Rainbow and other communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. Different members of our group work together to lead or participate in activities, depending on experience, interest, passion, time and other responsibilities.
Sandra Dickson is a Pākehā bisexual cis woman with 30 years’ experience working in Rainbow communities and family and sexual violence prevention at local, national and international levels. This includes developing the Mates & Dates healthy relationships programme; the Rainbow Ready Framework for Ara Taiohi and support frameworks for Rainbow youth volunteers. She has also contributed to many research collaborations such as New Zealand’s first Gender Attitudes Survey and the experiences of rape complainants in New Zealand courts.
Cayathri is a queer person of colour from the mountains, waters, lands, flora, and fauna of Lanka (Sri Lanka). She is known as Caya among friends and colleagues. Caya first identified as queer in the early 2000s and has done lots of social justice and queer activism, as well as facilitating groups for people to understand and explore their identities, struggles, and aspirations. Caya has been an activist researcher with over 20 years of experience in the social justice realm. She has lived, travelled and worked in a few countries. In some, anything other than heterosexuality has been criminalised, mostly since colonisation. In Kirikiriroa Hamilton, Caya works with a couple of collectives and research initiatives. She is the co-founder of Adhikaar Aotearoa, a charitable trust that aims to diversify the realm of queerness and sex, gender and sexual diversity through support, education and advocacy in Aotearoa.
Bex Fraser is a non-binary trans person, Pākehā and bisexual. They have worked as a facilitator, manager and volunteer in community organisations for 18 years, with a focus on social justice for marginalised groups. This has included working in violence prevention with former refugee and migrants, single parents and queer groups, the development and co-ordination of the Shama national response for sexual harm for ethnic communities, and the development of intercultural practice and facilitation for New Zealand Red Cross.
Tim Bennett is a queer male, based in the Waikato. They have worked in the education sector for 15 years and the health and support sector for 5 years. Tim is passionate about social justice and equity, with a particular interest in supporting people living with HIV. Alongside his busy work life, he is a facilitator for The Big Qs and has volunteered in various roles, advocating for the HIV positive communities in Aotearoa.
Maria Cristina Rodriguez, better known as Maki, is a queer person from Colombia based in Tauranga. Maki has worked with refugee and migrant communities in Hamilton and Tauranga for almost thirteen years, in New Zealand Red Cross and Shama Ethnic Women’s Trust in Hamilton, and currently is working with Welcoming Communities in Tauranga City Council. Maki is passionate about supporting vulnerable communities, empowering women, advocating gender equality, and supporting the LGBTQI+ community.
Lee Page is a singer-songwriter, a New Zealand entertainer and comedian. They work in community with wh
ānau who have diabetes, and they are passionate about being an advocate for people with disabilities. They’re motivated by the vision of having communities free from violence, and being able to make a difference to people every single day. Lee is takataapui, connected to Te Atiawa and uses words like queer, gay and non-binary to describe themselves. They have been involved in queer community rights and advocacy for more than 30 years.
Oriana Brown identifies as bisexual and uses the pronouns she/her. She cares about the rainbow community and people living their ‘best’ lives. It is really important to her to help people have a voice and a say in matters that affect them, which is one of the reasons Oriana is an interviewer for the Elder Voices project.
Ruby is an aspiring writer from Tamaki Makaurau who has been involved in queer and gender-based activism since 2018. They are particularly interested in gender identities and expressions which lie outside of a male/female binary. They self-describe as genderqueer/gender fluid and bisexual, and use an assorted grab-bag of male/female/neutral pronouns.
Rainbow relationships are any relationships that include at least one person from the Rainbow community. This is wider than “same-sex” relationships as biphobia and transphobia play significant roles in abuse in different gender relationships for bisexual and trans people.
We are using Rainbow communities to include all people in Aotearoa New Zealand under the sex, sexuality and gender diversity umbrellas – and we acknowledge our communities are also diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, class, generation/age, ability, faith, geographical location, parental status, and other identities.
Whakapapa
Sandra set up Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura – Outing Violence in early 2015 to raise awareness of partner and sexual violence in Rainbow communities and develop resources in consultation with communities around Aotearoa New Zealand. The first stage, funded by It’s Not OK, included 18 community hui and a national survey and resulted in our first research report.
The first stage of Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura – Outing Violence, in 2015/16, was guided by an advisory group which included Duncan Matthews; Elizabeth Kerekere; Fetu-o-le-moana Teuila Tamapeau: Kassie Hartendorp; Moeawa Tamanui-Fransen; Rachel Fabish; Sam Orchard; Sandz Peipi; Siaosi Mulipola; Tabby Beasley; Tamara Anderson; Te Ahi Wi-Hongi and Trevor Easton.
What are we doing at the moment?
- With Rainbow Hub Waikato, we co-ordinate the Rainbow Wellbeing Network for community workers and volunteers interested in violence prevention and wellbeing in the Waikato.
- Developing and conducting research about wellbeing for elders in Rainbow and Takataapui communities
- Developing e-learning modules with MEDSAC (the network of clinicians that provide medical care to people after experiencing sexual assault) to improve practitioner understanding and practice with Rainbow and Takataapui communities
- Co-ordinating and running The Big Qs, a healthy relating programme for adults who are new to Rainbow community
- Supporting government with effective Rainbow content in the development of two new websites, aimed to support people who have experienced harm from partners, and a site for perpetrators.
- Supporting government with the development of new Risk Assessment and Risk Management tools for use in the sexual and family violence sectors
- Delivering Rainbow Safe training to practitioners working in sexual and family violence sectors
Get in touch if you want to know more.