Source: Auckland Council
Celebrating the diversity of Tāmaki Makaurau comes in many forms and this month Pride shines a spotlight on our Rainbow communities. Auckland Council Chief Executive Phil Wilson and Director of Community Rachel Kelleher reflect on the role the council plays to support tākatāpui and rainbow communities in our region and why it’s important to us.
Not good enough and not acceptable
Phil: We started writing this piece last week, but the events of the weekend have sadly forced us to look at it again and take a stronger line. Our people were attacked on Saturday. Verbally and physically. Children, young people and their families were caught up in a violent and ugly situation that was outrageous and unacceptable.
As an organisation, we respect people’s right to free speech, protest and freedom of expression. Our libraries lead the charge on this. But when it turns violent and aggressive, when shouting drowns out other voices, and when people get hurt (children, for crying out loud!), it has gone too far.
In saying he is proud of the actions of his people, Bishop Tamaki is condoning violence and aggression towards our staff and the community and that is deplorable.
I’m proud of the calm and professional way Saturday’s attack on a family-friendly event was dealt with by our people at Te Atatū Peninsula Library. And I’m proud of the decent members of our community who supported them. Thankfully, most folk value places like our libraries and community centres for what they are and should continue to be – places of tolerance, acceptance, inclusion. Safe places where all are welcome. Leave your bigotry and intolerance elsewhere please.
It starts with community
Phil: What sort of community are we building if we’re not celebrating difference, championing tolerance and valuing social cohesion? With one in 20 adults belonging to Aotearoa New Zealand’s LGBTIQ+ population, councils play an incredibly important part in setting the tone for inclusion for our Rainbow community.
Throughout Pride Month there will be many fantastic events for all to enjoy, but it is also a reminder of the things we do every day to encourage and enable social cohesion, provide safe spaces for people to connect and deliver activities that champion learning, tolerance and inclusion.
Rachel: This week I heard a story about a young woman who attended a ‘literary salon’ evening at a library where attendees talked about celebrated books and shared kai. She was nervous about going on her own, was new to Auckland and has felt quite isolated here. After an evening of listening, learning and meeting others, her parting comment to our librarian was that she had ‘found her people’. This is the why: why we provide opportunities for communities to connect in different ways and why it’s important.
Finding a place for respectful understanding
Phil: Auckland Pride board chair Bhen Goodsir recently spoke to the NZ Herald’s The Front Page podcast about the current trend of what he termed an increasingly vocal minority pushing back against important progress for recognising a dignity and importance of Rainbow priorities. Bhen emphasised that when people are surrounded by a loving and supported community, and involved locally, they have better mental and physical health. We all benefit from this.
There’s that word again – community. Alongside dignity, support and local. And I agree, that as well as being focussed on building a supportive community, we are striving for greater acceptance and a more respectful understanding of what it means to be LGBTIQ+ in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Rachel: For us, and especially during Pride Month, those places for respectful understanding and celebration are our Proud Centres – our arts and community venues, our and libraries.
This year we’re hosting 80 arts, cultural and community events where people can come together in their neighbourhoods to celebrate and champion local tākatāpui and rainbow community members.
We know that marginalisation and misunderstanding continue to exist; by proudly demonstrating just how much we support and value our rainbow communities, we’re striving to be champions for respect and inclusivity.
Our people, our commitment
Phil: We became the first council in New Zealand to gain a Rainbow Tick in 2019, which helped us focus our efforts on integrating diversity into our everyday mahi. We now know that growing that diversity within an organisation, and creating a strong sense of belonging, is driven by ongoing engagement. Rainbow Tick kick-started this for us and now our membership of Pride Pledge (and proud gold members too) signals our evolution from a compliance-based mindset which required us to meet annual targets, to more innovative and meaningful mahi that is tailored to our specific challenges and will nurture a sense of belonging in our workplaces.
This takes many forms, from training modules and toolkits, to the way we design those workplaces and work programmes but what makes me most proud are the things that surround us each day as we go about our work – a rainbow wash over our logo, a photograph that reflects the diversity of Auckland, a practical initiative like all-gender bathrooms that promote safety and inclusion and a meal shared during Pride month.
Rachel: The unpleasant impact of being highly visible supporters of our Rainbow community and the ugly side of being inclusive champions and standing up for diversity is very real for our kaimahi, especially those working in our centres, delivering programmes, managing social media accounts and clearing inboxes.
Within minutes of switching the council’s iconic pōhutukawa to logo to rainbow mode for Pride month, we were getting mean-spirited comments. Our complaints system has had a spike in feedback from those who want to share their views. In person confrontation, threats of protest and disruption, aggressive posts, foul language and unacceptable slurs abound. Te Atatū Peninsula Library on Saturday.
We live in a society that values free speech, human rights and celebrates a range of opinions and as a council we respect people’s right to express their views. But we will not tolerate personal attacks; threats of violence or aggression towards our staff; or behaviour that displaces or threatens the safety and enjoyment of those who use our services or attend our events.
The last word
Phil: That’s enough about protestors and aggressors, let’s remind ourselves that the festival and the events we have delivered have been enormously successful. I attended several events and the mood was overwhelmingly positive – yes, there were some challenges but the depth and breadth of community support and goodwill, including community members standing alongside our staff, has been pleasing.
Rachel: Pride Month will continue, with our wholehearted support. Our hope is that inclusivity, respect and peace will shine through and that our communities can join together to grow tolerance and support.