On 22 August 2017 Rainbow Wellington hosted a rainbow election forum at St Andrew's on the Terrace in Wellington. Nine representatives from a diverse range of political parties attended. They spoke about their parties past achievements, their current policies and answered questions from the audience. A special thank you to the organisers, St Andrew's and participants for allowing this event to be recorded and shared.
After the forum we interviewed some of the representatives about their views on hate speech. This audio can be found here
Summary
The forum offered each politician an opportunity to share their party's perspective and policies related to LGBTIQ+ rights and broader social justice concerns. During the event, moderated by Richard Arnold and Lauren Wilkerson, the politicans were each granted four minutes to present uninterrupted speeches about their party's commitments and agendas in regards to the community. Following this, a QandA session allowed the audience to probe deeper into the policies and the practical application of the proposed strategies. Key issues that arose included addressing hate speech, improving access to health care services for the trans community, ensuring LGBTIQ+ youth are safe and accepted in schools, and tackling homelessness and mental health challenges within queer and trans populations.
Grant Robertson of the Labour Party began by affirming the party's legacy of supporting LGBTIQ+ rights and highlighted their ongoing commitment. The party's policy focused on three themes: access, freedom and equality, aiming for an AIDS-free New Zealand by 2025, affordable health care particularly for the trans community, and ensuring the elimination of discrimination based on gender identity in law.
Philip Lynch of the Conservative Party discussed broader societal issues like financial discrimination and the importance of family, while Pete Young of the Democrats for Social Credit advocated for universal basic income, free education, free health care and the integration of human rights into constitutional law.
Nicola Willis of the National Party spoke passionately about their commitment to uphold the rights of the rainbow communities and prevent bullying and hate against LGBTIQ+ youth, underlining the need for more funding into mental health resilience in schools.
Jan Logie from the Green Party highlighted their work in a cross-party group on LGBTIQ+ rights and their drive for safer schools, better health care for trans individuals, and legislative reform. Gayaal Iddamalgoda from the Migrant and Refugee Rights Campaign emphasized the intersectional oppression faced by queer refugees and migrants, pledging support for their causes.
Paddy Plunket of The Opportunities Party focused on equality for marginalized communities, including a reform of the welfare system that would introduce a universal basic income and housing as a key human right. Damien Light from United Future pledged support for diversity in Wellington and spoke of the necessity for acceptance within family units. Stephen Berry of ACT New Zealand delivered a speech underlining the need for restructured mental health services and promoted innovative public-private partnerships to enhance the sector.
The forum concluded with a mix and mingle, where attendees had the opportunity for one-on-one discussions with the political representatives to further understand and challenge their platforms. In sum, the event showcased diverse political agendas and commitments to the betterment of LGBTIQ+ individuals in New Zealand.
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.
Voices
Tags
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Tags (computer generated)
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