Maddy Drew

In this podcast episode recorded on February 24, 2018, at Waitangi Park in Wellington, Maddy Drew discusses participating in an equality initiative called the Two Ticks campaign and gives insights into the progression of gender and identity inclusiveness within census data collection in Aotearoa New Zealand. The discussion, facilitated by interviewer Gareth Watkins, took place at the Out in the Park event during the Wellington Pride Festival.

The conversation delves into the roots of the Two Ticks campaign, which aimed to disrupt the 2011 Census by protesting the binary gender question which excluded non-binary, intersex, and trans individuals. Drew recounts earlier efforts of engagement with numerous government agencies, including Statistics New Zealand and the Human Rights Commission, to encourage a more inclusive approach to gender questions. Drew explains the frustration felt due to the lack of responsiveness from these institutions, which led to the need for more drastic action to effect change.

Anecdotes trace Drew's activism back to their time at Victoria University, where a simple library survey's gender binary question sparked a concern for inclusivity and the usefulness of the data collected. This initial advocacy experience rippled outward to challenge broader institutional practices and data collection methods by larger entities such as the Ministry of Education and Statistics New Zealand.

Furthermore, Drew illuminates the statistical methods used when census respondents provide non-conforming answers, including data imputation strategies like name-based guessing or random selection. They highlight a loophole in the census system, which stated that a certain percentage of nonconforming answers would invalidate the data, thus providing a strategic angle to the Two Ticks campaign.

The 2011 Census was eventually canceled due to the devastating Canterbury earthquake, an event that, while stopping the campaign, did not diminish Drew's resolve in advocating for better representation and accuracy in data collection. Drew also addresses a subsequent engagement process for the 2013 Census, which yielded disappointing results but recognized the Two Ticks campaign as a catalyst for change.

The interview turns to the announcement by Minister James Shaw on amending future census questions to include gender and sexuality categories, a long-awaited but not yet realized goal. Drew criticizes the delay in the implementation of inclusive census questions, stressing that correct and representative data collection is crucial for the development of services and policies. Difficulties experienced in attempting to obtain paper census forms are also cited as an example of systemic inadequacies.

Drew concludes by reflecting on the significance of public events like Out in the Park, underscoring the importance of spaces where marginalized communities can connect and find support amidst ongoing wider social bigotry.

This podcast episode not only touches upon the importance of accurate representation in national data collection but also celebrates the victories and challenges faced by LGBTQ+ community advocates. The recording documents the evolution of social awareness and the collective journey toward inclusive recognition within Aotearoa New Zealand's social and political structures.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Maddy Drew

2010s, aotearoa new zealand, bigotry, canterbury earthquake 2011, census, census (2011), census (2013), census (2018), coming out, engagement, gender identity, gender standard (statistics new zealand), human rights commission, intersex, james shaw, lesbian and gay fair, maddy drew, media, newtown, newtown school, non-binary, out in the park (wellington), queer, sexual identity, statistics, statistics new zealand, survey, te herenga waka - victoria university of wellington, trans, two ticks campaign (2011 census), uniq victoria (wellington), wellington, wellington pride festival (2018), youth

agenda, bottom, boxes, broken, change, christchurch, code, community, connections, conversation, data, earthquake, education, events, fear, friends, gender, government, health, human rights, identity, internet, library, listening, ministry of education, other, people, policy, relationships, scene, school, sexuality, social, stuff, time, university, work