Rainbow Futures - General Election 2026

Recorded at the Public Service Association in Wellington on 22 September 2026, Rainbow Futures – General Election 2026 brought together five political candidates to discuss issues affecting rainbow communities in New Zealand ahead of the general election. The event was organised by Rainbow Wellington and the PSA and moderated by journalist André Chumko. The panel featured Lauren Craig of the Green Party, Gerald Warner of New Zealand First, Josh Harford of the Alliance Party, Georgie Dansey of the Labour Party and Robert Mason of The Opportunity Party. National and ACT had been invited but were not represented.

Chumko framed the discussion around health and wellbeing, human rights, education, representation and the future of rainbow communities. An introductory round asked candidates about early experiences with rainbow people, figures they admired and whether they would consult rainbow communities before voting on legislation affecting them. Georgina Beyer, the former Carterton mayor and transgender Member of Parliament, was named by several candidates as an important influence. Craig linked Beyer’s political career in Wairarapa to her own decision to stand there.

When asked about the most significant issue facing rainbow communities, candidates offered different perspectives. Topics included continuing problems of acceptance; comparisons between arguments directed at transgender people and those historically used against gay men; concerns about political polarisation and growing fear within rainbow communities; economic inequality; and concerns about growing hostility towards transgender people in political debate.

A major point of disagreement was the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill. Craig said the Green Party would repeal it, while Warner defended the New Zealand First bill as providing sex-based legal definitions. Harford said the Alliance would repeal it, arguing that it was poorly drafted and would create uncertainty across other legislation. Dansey said Labour opposed the bill and criticised its definitions and consultation. Mason also opposed it.

Healthcare was another central theme. The discussion also covered the Law Commission’s Ia Tangata report and legal protections for transgender, non-binary and intersex people. The Greens, Labour, the Alliance and The Opportunity Party indicated support for progressing the report’s recommendations in various forms. New Zealand First opposed the recommendations, citing concerns about freedom of expression and potential legal consequences.

Other topics included education, particularly inclusive relationships and sexuality education, as well as the cost of living. Rapid-fire questions covered adoption and surrogacy reform, hate-crime and hate-speech protections, and whether candidates would challenge members of their own parties over comments harmful to rainbow communities. Audience questions returned to access to gender-affirming surgery and asked candidates to identify a concrete commitment for the next parliamentary term.

The panel also discussed the meaning of “gender-affirming care”, with definitions ranging from medical treatment for gender dysphoria to a broader model including mental health support, primary care, hormones, surgery, legal recognition and family support. Candidates differed in how narrowly or broadly they defined the term, reflecting wider differences in their approaches to rainbow healthcare and transgender issues.

Chumko closed by urging the audience to compare political promises with actions and asking candidates to keep rainbow communities involved in parliamentary discussion after the election. Jack McDonald - Te Kaihautū Māori PSA, then offered closing reflections from a tangata whenua and rainbow-rights perspective, speaking about emancipation, liberation, takatāpui history and political participation.

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.

André Chumko Georgie Dansey Gerald Warner Jack McDonald Josh Harford Lauren Craig Robert Mason

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