Whakatū Pride

15/06/2026

09/06/2026

This is an awesome local and queer-led arts project - support this month and your donation will be matched! 🌈

A heads up from our arts community 💛

Whakatū artist Chris Ulutupu and collaborators Moana Ete, Kane Laing, Jonathon Nott, Lelia Smith and Helen Smith have launched a Boosted x Moana campaign for Le Faili: an experimental music and visual arts project exploring Sāmoan music, memory, family, identity and alternative ways of storytelling.

The campaign runs 8 June – 8 July, with donations matched dollar-for-dollar through Boosted x Moana until the $10,000 matching pool is reached.

Support the campaign, share it with your networks, or follow along at on Instagram

https://www.thearts.co.nz/boosted/make-a-donation?projectId=3239135

07/06/2026

Happy Pride, Wairau whānau! Head over the hills to check out this beautiful festival 🌈💖

Nau mai, haere mai!

Come join us!! Whether this is your first Pride Wairau experience, or you’re a seasoned pro, come check it out. There is literally something for everyone in this year’s programme. We encourage you to attend something you wouldn’t usually attend - check out the exhibition, come along to a workshop and better yet, bring a friend, a flatmate or a colleague.

Some of the ticketed events are down to final tickets so get in now to avoid missing out.

Your Pride Wairau Festival 2026 - Festival Programme.

For full details and tickets head to our website or Humanitix - links in our bio.

HAPPY PRIDE WAIRAU!

Pride Wairau Festival 2026 - Let Marlborough Radiate

06/06/2026

Did you attend an event at Whakatū Pride Festival 2026? Please fill in our survey so we can hear what worked, what needs work, and how we can make the Festival even better in 2027!
https://tinyurl.com/3hy4y783

04/06/2026

Our submission:

Whakatū Pride is an organisation dedicated to supporting rainbow people to flourish and feel a sense of belonging in our community. Our members include people who are trans, inters*x, takatāpui and non-binary – people who have fought for the legal recognition and protections they have today under the Human Rights Act (2006). Sexual variation and gender fluidity are part of human experience, and a binary definition of s*x excludes people who do not fit this. This Bill threatens to make our inters*x and trans whānau invisible at best and a target for discrimination and abuse at worst.

We are disgusted to see our government waste time and resources on a Bill that is not needed for legal reasons and will offer no protection to women and girls. On a practical level, this Bill makes life harder for inters*x and trans people by forcing them into a legal identity that does not match their lived reality and creating potential barriers to accessing health services, insurance cover, and international travel. This Bill is driven by an anti-LGBTQIA agenda that seeks to position trans, inters*x and gender diverse people as a problem in our community, and to exclude them from legal protections and from public life. This Bill and the rhetoric of its writers and supporters reflects a cynical intention to import a confected “culture war” that works to sow division between people and embolden hateful and divisive discourse in our community. This is an attempt to distract us from acting in solidarity against a government that is worsening poverty, housing and health inequity and environmental protections.

We believe most New Zealanders care about the wellbeing of others and respect that people have the right to be themselves. We believe most New Zealanders are proud of and love their whānau and friends who are part of the rainbow community. We believe we represent the majority when we say we oppose this Bill and ask for it to be abandoned.

20/05/2026

We at Whakatū Pride want to express our disapointment and disgust at the government's proposal to implement NZ First's "Gender Bill" as legislation.

In a time where people are struggling to make ends meet for the basic needs of survival - it is cowardly and unacceptable to be drawing attention to the lives of people living as gender minorities. Relying on a lack of public education is crucial for this, causing further harm and stigma for our trans, non-binary and inters*x whānau.

Make sure you're enrolled to vote, and your details are up to date.

We stand together, strong.

We stand together, in solidarity.

16/05/2026

On this morning from 11-1, whānau - drop in for a cuppa! We have some board games, feel free to bring your craft projects or just come to chat 😊🌈💖

Kia ora friends! We are having our monthly hang out at WAA! this Sunday 17th from 11-1. Come celebrate IDAHOBIT Day, share your experiences from the Pride Fest, and meet new friends! WAA! Is a relaxed, queer-friendly space with room to gather inside and outside and a quiet cosy lounge area. Your hosts are Ari, Chrystal and Emma - we will have some tea and coffee supplies and some snacks but feel free to bring anything you’d like. DM us if you have any questions about the space, what to expect, and anything we can do to help you feel welcome 🥰🌈