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It's a, um my name is Tim. My day job is I teach at the University of Auckland in the faculty of Education and Social Work. And, um, last year, I was also very fortunate to be a member of the Love Life Committee as well as various other things that all of us are engaged in. So So I thought I would, um, introduce the love life fun with a video a historical video from, uh, the second love Life Fun. We've had six so far. Um, and it's a bi annual conference that happens every two years. And [00:00:30] so I'm just gonna contextualise our presentation with a video from the second Love Life. Fun. Cool. Um, I wanted to show that video. It's pretty dated. And, um, what I enjoy about it is that, uh, a lot of the people who, uh, at that time were working in the space is still here today, still working in the space. And I want to acknowledge those people who are currently, uh, in the room with us today. [00:01:00] Um, I'm gonna do my best to try and not sound. I like to pretend like, um, I'm an enthusiastic reader of speeches. But, um, my friend said to tell me that I sound like a robot, So I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try my best, because I, I kind of put a bit of a speech together, but I'm gonna try my best to get through it. So, um, thank you, everybody for your patience. Um, as a someone [00:01:30] as a Pacific person, I never get my way forward into the future, Uh, grounded in a Pacific context that is intrinsically connected to the past. It's my cultural heritage that places me and locates me within the context of the world. And without it, navigating that place in the world becomes a little bit problematic. I'd like to introduce this presentation by offering up a historical context that illustrates only a handful of milestones that have led myself and my [00:02:00] organisation to this point in our journey. Um, I'd like to acknowledge that this is merely an overview, and this is merely an overview of our Rainbow Pacific genealogy and something that I'm very proud to be part of. I work for the New Zealand AIDS Foundation as the um, community engagement coordinator, and essentially what my role is is to uh, promote safety amongst Pacific Island communities and for us safety, uh, [00:02:30] looks like HIV prevention and awareness. And so one of the key roles or the key ways that we try to promote prevention amongst our people is by promoting condoms. And so our national campaign for HIV prevention is referred to as love your Condom, which is a campaign that, um, we use to encourage people to make more informed and educated decisions around their sexual behaviour around, um, their [00:03:00] sexual choices as well. Um, as you can imagine, in a Pacific context, it's quite difficult to broach the subject of sex. Um, and if only because, uh, you know, our cultures are founded on on respect. Um and so a lot of work has been done in the space before. It even arrives around creating respectful space to enable Pacific people to have open and frank conversations about sex, sexuality [00:03:30] and gender diversity. Um, homosexual law reform, as many of you know, uh, created the social conditions that have allowed national sexual health organisations including, uh, the New Zealand AIDS Foundation, um, to respond to the transmission of STIs HIV and AIDS amongst gay and bisexual men living in a, um As a result, NZAF sits as part of the history, Um, and embedded [00:04:00] in the fabric of some of the earliest pioneering movements to, um, allow people to start approaching our health and our well being. Um, and the idea that or the notion that, um, we weren't illegal citizens or, uh, that we had rights as, um, humans and other, Um uh, this may sound a little bit cynical, but despite creating conditions that have allowed [00:04:30] people, uh, the institution to develop inclusive social policy, it will be three decades before we see the emergence of adequate rainbow Pacifica services, um, services that have kind of operated over time directly in response to the lack of capacity capability, comprehension, uh, competency, um, and, um, just basic education within the mainstream health, social [00:05:00] welfare and educational institution. Um, yeah. Many of these, uh, institutional frameworks still operate today and without, uh, necessary support that is required to deal with the growing gender diversity among specific communities, especially in New Zealand. Um, And for the greater part of 2005, these, uh, 2015, these services still remain vastly underfunded, [00:05:30] unrecognised and in some instances invisible in New Zealand. Um, however, the, um the landscape isn't without its pioneers and leaders who have advocated for radical social change. Um, and have done this for as long as some of these gaps have existed, I'd just like to acknowledge some of those people. Uh, the late mama Edward Carli, Uh, C Samoa. Felicia Brown, Acton be And, [00:06:00] um, in my mind, the most effective tool to, uh, combating social inequalities has been reminding people that we're still here, and we still exist. And we didn't really go anywhere. Uh, but we've been here since the beginning of, um and so visibility matters. Uh, I think it was brought up this morning. Um, that young people need to be able to see themselves reflected [00:06:30] in the society that they live in. Um, and I tend to agree with that. And so in 2013, the LGBT, um, and LGBT advocate Felicia Brown Acton initiated the Pacifica float project, uh, in partnership with East Family Services, our IC Village Collective and the Auckland Pride Committee and the Pacific People's Project. Um, it saw the largest gathering in Auckland of our Pacific community, [00:07:00] and it saw the largest, uh, mobilisation of, uh, pacific majority of of, um, queer and diverse identified people. Um, and it created a national awareness. Um, but amongst the other things that are created in that national awareness is, um, uh, a diverse identity that's also part of the mainstream one. [00:07:30] Um, our community has been historically framed, uh, from a sexual health perspective, a mental health perspective and our communities is only today are starting to redefine what they look like and who they are and reinterpret, uh, the space and, um, who they are as a community group. And for me, um, love life fun plays a pivotal role. Um, in reframing [00:08:00] the rainbow Pacifica narrative. Um, a lot of what's happening now currently in the spaces around ownership and reclaiming some of that, uh, narrative that has come before us, but acknowledging the deep and rich history that is part of that genealogy as well and part of our, um and so, uh, love life follow delivers culturally relevant support to a new generation, uh, faced with new everyday challenges, and it [00:08:30] helps to connect them with their history and locate them geographically, culturally and socially. Um, to acknowledge that they exist and that they're part of, um, our family and our extended family. Um, so in 2013, it was recognised, um, from recommendations from the community who attended the previous, like fun that they needed to have an active role in putting this event together. [00:09:00] That brings, uh, basically all the gender diverse and sexually diverse communities from the country together, Um, every two years. And so, uh, the New Zealand AIDS Foundation, um, approached people from the community and asked them to, uh, be part of a organising committee. So I'm just gonna pass it on to some who probably gonna speak a lot more clearly about that. Yeah, Man up. Just check if everyone's still awake [00:09:30] and with us. OK, so just like mentioned in 2013, um, based on comprehensive feedback from past participants of of the Love Life, uh, the New Zealand AIDS Foundation commissioned the organising committee. And so this organising committee was, um, basically comprised of various members of the Pacific Rainbow Community, and they're all, um so they were kind of engaged with the planning and also the execution, um, of the in that year So in 2013, [00:10:00] the organising committee was Cindy of Samoa, who most of you already know, Um, who is part of a a school inspired youth group? Uh, Kelton, Queens. Tamara Anderson, Uh, from Family Services and an is a Pacific artist. So under in 2015, under the guidance of its new community engagement coordinator, Pacific the Fabulous Mr Standing here, the NZNZAF continued and expanded [00:10:30] this concept of broader engagement, um, in the organisation and execution of the love life. Um, so this is really an attempt to kind of garner a greater interest from a diverse cross section of the of the community. And in recognition of the fact that there are many group, uh, many diverse groupings and many different sections within the particular Pacific Rainbow community, we often get lumped all together. So here are the faces of the 2015 committee. Um, so just from left to right. And I want to point out, um, who [00:11:00] they are and where they're from because it says quite a lot about, um, the direction of NAF and also about the love life funnel moving forward. Um, so from top to left. We have to To who's introduced himself? Um, Josephine. Samuel, Um, in the red, uh, who runs an organisation called which mentors young, uh, Pacific Rainbow young youth. She's also a nurse. Um, who's, uh, the money man who works in Westpac? Um, [00:11:30] and he's also part of the swag. Art, Art, Art, art Collective. Uh, Jonathan, who's here with us today as well. Hi, Jo. Uh, who works with the Mental Health Foundation, Auckland Sexual health. Uh, Sonia ta ta from Auckland, sexual health as well, Who is a graduate of the Pacific Island Performing Arts Institute in Auckland and is also a board member of the of the youth group. Next is [00:12:00] some, um, from based here in Wellington, uh, from Box Oceania and also part of the Wellington City Pacific Advisory Group. Darren, who's a performing artist, Julie, who is a law society professional in the town community me, um, and also, uh, uh from the East Family Services, who's also the co-chair of Rainbow Youth and the chair of, um, the youth group we talked [00:12:30] about earlier. So the committee, as you can see, um, comprised of a diverse makeup of gender, cultural and professional identities, um, in an attempt to to really mirror the broader diversity within society and the reality within our within our community. So So the committee drew upon the strengths of this diversity according to diverse knowledge, experiences, ideas and philosophies and practises and the developing and execution of the love life on all six programme, which Tony [00:13:00] will talk about soon. Um, the 2015 love life objectives, uh, were really basic things. Uh, essentially, we wanted to, uh, bring people together and facilitate a space where people could reconnect. Uh, one of the things that our committee identified quite pretty early in the preparation for love life, uh, was that there were some intergenerational gaps, um, amongst our community. And as [00:13:30] a result, some of the information and the knowledge from the pastor was, uh, hitting a bit of a and then some of, uh, the living conditions or the living realities for young people were also, um, lost in translation. Um, so one of the core things that we try to offer in terms of, uh uh, a really clear objective around facilitating love, like was to, um, clear that pathway for people. So that those connections could be made and people could start talking to each other. [00:14:00] Um, it's really understated, but I think, um, the success of love life has, uh, been about those, uh, interpersonal connections, Um, and how they've been maintained over time. And of course, things shift all the time, and priorities shift, and people relocate. And, um, so the landscape is is always changing and evolving. Um, and I think, uh, NZAF has been invested in the love life for not long [00:14:30] enough to take an active responsibility for maintaining those relationships and those connections, even if it's just by developing a digital resource where people can clock in and check in with their community and their peers. Um, so that again became an outcome from one of the objectives that we set ourselves as a as a committee. And so, for three days, um, uh, we, uh, shared space. Um, at [00:15:00] which is based at the MIT campus, Um, in city in Auckland. Um, and we had a really dynamic programme that, uh, took a holistic approach to well-being. Um, so historically, the NZAF has framed the love life followers. Uh, HIV prevention, uh, workshop or, um a way of promoting, say, sex essentially, and condoms, uh, which is great. And it served its function in the past. But moving into the future, [00:15:30] we realised that we were more than just our sexual behaviour and our choices and our sexual partners. And so that became again one of the things that fit into the conversation around looking at Pacific well-being, looking at Pacific connections. And what is it that we want to talk about? And because we had such a diverse committee and there were a lot of ideas that were put on the table and we tried to, um, honour all of them by giving them space adequate space to, um, explore. [00:16:00] Um, and some of those things were education, employment, sexual health, general health, um, relationships, uh, and things like that. So yeah, yeah, the the key to kind of holding that all together was was more than just, uh, having a committee that organised things and decided, uh, what was gonna happen. But it was about creating meaningful, uh, community partnership with people on the ground, everyday people [00:16:30] who are just living their lives. And then they find out oh is happening. Um, by getting input from those people so that it drives, uh, love life as a vehicle that they can then own themselves as a community. I'm gonna pass it up. So to balance what appeared on the surface level a very young and green, very young as you can tell. And Green organising committee, the Love Life Final Six committee agreed by consensus that direction and input was still needed from our more experienced elders [00:17:00] or our And they hate us calling them that. But that's what they were to us. So this this we called the cultural custodians and their role was to help steal the of the organising committee. So to provide critical feedback, guidance and leadership, um, in terms of the work that we're doing, we were doing so this is important to the organising committee committee and acknowledging the different pockets of our peoples, um, within the vast community and the desire really not to discount, um, anyone based on their age or any other sort of stereotype. [00:17:30] So I acknowledge them here today, um, up on the left, you can see, um Well, um, who's with village collector from a Who's the Auckland Pride curator? Um, next to them. Louisa Wall Labour MP for who you saw this morning. Uh, Taiko the com, uh, who is a community community leader in the Cook Islands? Um, community. And here in, um, in New Zealand. Josephine, [00:18:00] um, a health professional, uh, also a health professional, but a community elder at the University of Canterbury, Um, and also Cindy of Samoa. So this fabulous group of cultural custodians were invited to a programme briefing meeting, um, prior to the actual funeral, Um, where where, As an organising committee presented our our ideas around our particular aspirations and desires for the outlook of the programme. [00:18:30] So members of the cultural custodians gave positive and constructive feedback and asked us to consider other areas in in depth that we perhaps did not look at properly at the time. Um and also most of the cultural custodians were present for the duration of the love life funnel um, providing daily advice and reas reassurances, and that the Committee that the organising committee and the programme was on track. So this is a great example of, um, intergenerational solidarity and successful [00:19:00] partnerships between, um, members within the same community community, but with very different lived experiences and and we hope to continue progressing. Um that in future for all So continuing on this theme of collectively navigating in partnerships um partnerships were also established with the following organisations and resulted in the delivery of programme elements, support [00:19:30] and additional resources for the love life funnel You can see there um Village Collective Rainbow Youth East Family Service Auckland Sexual Health The University of Auckland Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust Oceania interrupted the school of her in a love your condom and part of my [00:20:00] pronunciation. So there is a good mix here a social community, health and education organisation And um, this really provided a great opportunity to pull uh, the resources of these organisations, um, into the formal for our for our participants. So all of these organisations have a great interest, I hope, and are involved with the Pacific Rainbow Community on different levels Um, representing a multi prong or cross organisational collaboration, um deliver delivering sport services [00:20:30] and information for rainbow Pacific and Pacific communities in general. So, um, working in partnership with with these organisations also helped to put us on the map. Well, the love life on on the map or on their radar, Um, as a as a vehicle, as one voice for the Pacific Rainbow community. Um, So, together with the New Zealand AIDS Foundation and the Love Life 16 committee, um, we were able to achieve some remarkable goals in in in this area, particularly about, uh, partnerships [00:21:00] and greater engagements. Um, but this is only the start. We have to continue doing that more. It was really challenging to to then take all this input from our community and then, uh, synthesise that into a cohesive programme where we felt our community got the best or the most value in terms of attending the love life. And so, um, this year we decided to run the over three days because traditionally, we have [00:21:30] our on the Friday and it only runs for Saturday and Sunday. But we decided to add an extra day in there so we could offer, um, customised workshops that tailored to the, um, to the things that people actually asked us to deliver. Um and so the fight. We, um we had our opening ceremony, Um uh, on the Thursday and then on Friday, we went into an intense [00:22:00] um programme of back to back workshops, and we wanted to offer people variety so that they had more than just one space to go to because, um, with the theme of navigation, we wanted people to decide for themselves which pathways were appropriate for them. So we kind of saw our role as just facilitating the options for people. Um, and I think we did that quite succinctly. Um, of course, there was some really good feedback from most of the community about how we can refine this in the future. [00:22:30] Um, and it's weird because it sounds like an oxymoron. But we had lot to refine, but then expand as well. And I guess, um, so much learning has come from this process. And we would just like to, um, honour some of the, um, exchange that's happened between the organisation, the committee, um, our cultural advisory and the community. Yeah. So one of the criticisms about these, um, wonderful Pacific [00:23:00] funnels is that you come together once in a blue moon. You have a great time, you build some wonderful networks and wonderful friendships. And then after that, nothing happens. Um, and it's not to say that this is just been with this particular organisation We're talking about, um, events in general. So, um, and wanting to keep, um, the momentum alive of love life funnel. So, keeping those partnerships and those networks and those wonderful relationships that were formed, um, keeping them alive in between [00:23:30] keeping in mind that this takes place every two years. Yeah, Um, And to ensure that we continue the work and to continue to push the outcomes that came out of the fun. Um, the love life Fun six committee proposed to its members at the 2015 conference. The idea of forming love life funnel trust. And so this was passed unanimously at the A GM. So the love life funnel trust. I'll just go through a couple of its, um, principles. Um, [00:24:00] sorry purpose. Um, so, in terms of the purpose we looked at bringing together the Rainbow Pacific, um, peoples and communities of New Zealand and the Pacific, um, providing opportunities to connect intersectional communities inside and outside of Rainbow Pacific communities. Um, provide opportunities to access traditional and contemporary pacific knowledge and skills and promote the views, health and well-being of rainbow Pacific peoples and communities and to provide other support and [00:24:30] assistance consistent with the above referred charitable purposes. So this would then open up the FAA to wider opportunities for funding and the opportunity for this funding to action some of the networking events in between various fun. So the move to a charitable trust where funds could can be accessed was a key concern for our international participants from across the region. Who asked the committee to consider, uh, this is a priority allowing our brothers and sisters from across the ocean who may not be tied to specific [00:25:00] organisations and thus not have access to, uh, funding to attend attend these sessions. So we took that pretty seriously. Um, when we thought about the creation of this of this trust, Um, there was also the desire of the organising committee to committee committee. That's not a word, um, to create a vehicle which would house the history of love life, um, so creating opportunities for the various stories and and journeys, um, to be captured and stored, um, in various, uh, formats. And so [00:25:30] and we recognise that this is particularly important for for the future of and for its ongoing development and sustenance, providing a tangible resource, which all of our members, um, of the Pacific community or organisation based code access and no rewrote that, um, it couldn't be presumed that all Pacific LGBT or Rainbow people are navigating in the same direction. And this became really apparent when we were all sharing space and occupying [00:26:00] the one space together, um, that people had different aspirations, um, to be different things in life. Um, and to, uh, follow different passions. And so, um, this love life was a a huge learning experience. I've been in, uh, this role at the NZF for, um, in June. It will be two years now. Uh, and it was the first time that I've ever, uh, come into the space. [00:26:30] And I'm relatively new to working in the rainbow Pacifica space despite identifying as a openly gay male. Um, and so I think what we set out to do was really ambitious, and it took a lot of courage. And I'm really proud of the effort that the team and the community put together, and it's not necessarily over now. So, uh, I, I see this as like a continuation into the future and there's still a lot of work to do. Um [00:27:00] and so I guess I wanted to kind of, like, just pitch to the audience that you can be part of those outcomes and be part of that future. Um, So if you know of any, uh, indigenous Oceania people, uh, who would like to get involved? We've got our business cards here, and we also have some collateral and some information that you can take away with you after this workshop. Um, this is my [00:27:30] last slide and my personal favourite photo from the Love Life. Um, I really enjoy this photo because I don't get to see this quite often. Uh, in my personal life, um, like a huge gathering of LGBT rainbow Pacifica people, um, moving together as a community. Um, I think historically, we've kind of been siloed off. And I was just talking to someone recently about how [00:28:00] the way Auckland as a city is built and its geography and the way that it lays out communities has a lot to do with why we're so, um, isolated sometimes from one another. Um, so I think it's interesting that we, um I think we as, um the committee and the the people who are part of this project take an active responsibility. But we also, um, share that responsibility with our people as well to, [00:28:30] um, to make sure that we we can come together and we can share space, and we can move as a group of people and as a community. Um, so that's our presentation, I guess. And, um, I'm just gonna open it up to the floor if anyone has any questions. Hi. [00:29:00] What were some of the the dreams and aspirations that came out of this year's or or dreams? Maybe that you have going forward from from your, um from the feedback from this year last year. Sorry, Uh, there's this idea of growing the cultural landscape. Um uh, collective social mobility is one thing. We talk about being disenfranchised and [00:29:30] and being resourceful and resilient. And these are things that our community have have built into their personalities. It's real disheartening, because when you talk to people, they they talk like they're survivors of something. And I'm always constantly questioning What is the something, um, and the something is the rest of the world. Um, So what's good? Uh, I, I guess in terms of some of those dreams and aspirations that the community has was about sharing resourcefulness [00:30:00] and sharing the load so that the, um that survivor defensiveness. Um, we no longer internalise. And it doesn't become this historical trauma that we carry with us for the rest of our lives. Um, because, yeah, we're kind of over it. And another thing, uh, that people talked about was, um, talking to the rest of our community because we've been talking to ourselves for the longest time. And so, uh, one of the [00:30:30] things that our community want to see more of is being able to find words to be able to talk to their own communities, have these discussions at church, uh, with their ministers and talk with their families. And, um and what does a wider Pacific experience have to offer us as members of that experience as well? So, yeah, those were the the dreams and aspirations, and it seems real simple that we would be automatically, uh, privilege to [00:31:00] those experiences culturally. But we're not sometimes and that's gosh, I'd be interested to hear how you managed to embrace the wider sector of the Pacific community. Did you do it through the various Pacific Church groups or through the community organisations? You know? Um, yeah, I'd be interested to know how. How? How you actually were all embracing. I Yeah, I think basically, for, um well, you saw [00:31:30] how big the committee was. It's probably too big. Um and they're all part of different organisations, and it really helped, um in terms of them being able to go out and, um, talk to them about the love life and then also talk Talk to them about what we wanted to achieve and all all of them have a keen interest in terms of, you know, working with this particular group of high risk youth. Um, so, yeah, I think word of mouth basically the old coconut. It's such a large committee that they were able to touch the various sectors of the community. And [00:32:00] I also think through his work as the community outreach, um, coordinator for the Pacific, um, and the New Zealand AIDS Foundation. I mean, they're doing a lot more work with different organisations and, um, on similar kind of events and issues, and so that's helped a lot as well but also because I think, um, love life fun is a brand. It's a known brand. That's the sixth iteration of love, The Love Life Gathering. And at that time when you had it last year, there'd already been six version five versions [00:32:30] of it earlier. And the community know about about which that and that that definitely helps. But the question that I have now that you've got the trust and I saw that, um, there is some first of all I want to congratulate the love life for, um on on this amazing event you continued it on from the earlier work of, you know, the the other people like C I acting amazing, you know, advocates for for LGBTI in in New Zealand. [00:33:00] One of the things that that was always a struggle in the earlier versions of it was specific participation. And of course, you know, New Zealand Aid Foundation isn't the the big bucket of funds that it used to be, So they're trying their best to try and accommodate that, and it's it's it's It's very comforting for me to hear that that's one of the The key cornerstones of the new trust is the involvement of of of of, you know, your your your neighbours in the Pacific and [00:33:30] the I. I always believe that if an organisation is is is built from the ground up in the country where it resides, that the focus should be on the Pacific Pacific people, you know, or the Pacific LGBTI communities within that country, that's your first and foremost priorities addressing those needs. And it will be interesting to see, you know, the penetration of love life on down [00:34:00] in the South Island, you know, down in South London and in Otago and Dunedin, like where some Pacific communities are involved there with the with the with the engagement of and and you know that that's really, really important. Um, then you can whatever funds you have left, you can try and get some participation across. The only thing that I think and and this is an advice that I give to you guys, is the space is starting to become very crowded, you know, in in terms of pacific engagement and participation, [00:34:30] you have PSDN now out there actively sourcing issues for the Pacific. You have or up there, you know you're starting to coalesce these organisations, um rather than kind of, like have this ideology of let's build and kind of, like, grab everybody and put everybody in our basket. Let's work together to kind of, like, try and and form, you know, um, partnerships so that they can share information because I see love life. [00:35:00] The love life I believe in is the love life that catches the Pacific migrants that migrate to New Zealand. And then you pick them up and kind of like, say, what support services can we offer them through employment through, you know, hormones through medical, through health. You know, that's, uh I mean, that's my opinion, but I honestly believe in your work. Fantastic. Um, congratulations on on an amazing event last year. I'm sorry I couldn't make it, but, um, yeah, so I just wanted to share [00:35:30] that. Thank you. I really want to acknowledge your and, um and and it's definitely a conversation that we had at love. Life fun. Um, I just want to acknowledge also that this was the first. And, um, and I am really looking forward to, uh, facilitating or being a conduit to enable more of these discussions. Um because I think that's where it starts. But that is fantastic [00:36:00] advice, and we definitely take Can I just say that she be doing? Yeah, Yeah, we We had those discussions, and we we said, you know, um, the the trustees currently sit at six trustees. Um, and that's our minimum number for for the thing, because we we didn't want to take control. Um, and we don't want to be the authority on, um, you know, in New Zealand, um, we want to provide that space and open those spaces. So it's [00:36:30] good to hear that there's people from our community saying, um, don't tell us how to be give us opportunities. Um, because that's the That's the tack we're taking with it is that it's to be, you know, whether it's, um, organising the next formal in in partnership with organisations or whether it's, um, a group down in Christchurch who want to have a, um, social gathering. And they just need to be able to access some funds to put some transport [00:37:00] stuff together. Um, that's the role of the or a role that, um, the former trust can play. Yeah, and it's still taking shape. Um, it's still really early in the process. And, um yeah, without making it sound too haphazard, as if we we don't know what we're doing. But we're kind of learning as we go. Um, and we're taking on board all the advice from our community and all the advice from people who have all that experience. [00:37:30] And, um, yeah, I think the what enabled the US to deliver this, uh, last year's love life fun. Was that really rich history of the the branding love life and the, um Because last year was the 10 year anniversary, and I was, um, yeah, I think we were kind of riding the wave of that history. Um, and we really wanted to take it in a new direction. And, um, again, this this vision isn't set in concrete. [00:38:00] And it's, um, just like the ocean. It's Florida. And it's, um yeah, taking on currents from all over the place. So, uh, please contribute. Um, go. Go here first. Yeah, um, I just Yeah, I just really want to, um, acknowledge just how much money has been going into this. It's not so much a question as a comment. I think that, um particularly down here in Wellington. A lot of [00:38:30] our Pacific young people, um, are isolated, particularly in the city. Um, I think in places such as, there's a little bit more Pacific people, but it's not. There's nothing that I've noticed that is happening like this in the same way. And a lot of people down here seek a lot of inspiration and strength from the work that you're doing. So I guess Just know what follow on effects in the sees that you're planting all across the all across the country really are and what that can grow and look like. And we hope that we can [00:39:00] where there are parts to grow together, we can do that. So So thank you for that really important gift. Um, last week we had a young girl who, um yeah, it would have been in our rainbow community, um, complete suicide. And so to me, it's been a really relevant couple of weeks, in particular, with all of this stuff happening with pride and and actually what it means when the main group of young people that I know who have passed away at all Maori and Pacifica and how [00:39:30] hard it is to be doing this work within a Western framework. A lot of the models that we've been taught to use to explain our lives and our identities, uh uh, have come from a European framework, and how important and valuable and appreciated is when there are people such as yourselves willing to forge past forward that we can start to name and conceptualise of ourselves. And it's part of, and I know that that's part of your and it's not hasn't just started here, and there's a long line of that. But but [00:40:00] yeah, to us down and is really important. So thank you, Thank you and and totally support all of the work that you've been doing. It's kind of weird seeing an old picture of yourself when you used to have here. Well, a little bit of hair and, um, I was just, you know, that that tension that's always there because it originally came through Aid Foundation money. So it come and it's the same with the funding that exists in the Pacific as well. [00:40:30] So because that's the only source of funding and it has constraints. And so it's for those at high risk of HIV, which in the Pacific still got that focus on trans women and MN and in a it seems to be predominantly MS M because there aren't the same high rates amongst, um, and others here. And you, you're for all of your community. [00:41:00] And how how, then can you embrace, you know, and, you know, lesbians and trans masculine people, because there's no one funding that work. So I was just wondering if you've found a way to to try and be as broad as possible when the funding isn't that broad. Not at the moment. No, um, but it's definitely something that I mean, I feel like we're always, uh, in in discussion. [00:41:30] You know, um, I feel like, um, these are definitely things that we are being considered by everyone involved, but, um, we're still trying to figure out where to from here what that looks like. And in a real practical sense. Um, and because essentially the trust, um, doesn't want we we don't necessarily view the trust as a, um, operational one, but more or less um, [00:42:00] yeah, like a a portal, um, to again just connect with one another so that we can collectively come up with an approach. So, I, I can't personally answer that question. But it's definitely on the list. The really long list of things that are getting, uh, worked through at the moment. Um, I guess it's well, I can speak to at this point, but, um, yeah, at some point, it's [00:42:30] we're gonna start prioritising things and one of the other things that are around that as well, um, is that it's enshrined in the trustee that we've submitted to. We're still waiting to hear back from charity services six months later. Um, but one of the things that's enshrined in that is that, um it's for the whole community, regardless of your identity, not to homogenise us, but to, um, provide that space to have our cultural lens [00:43:00] put on to some of that, um, social and gender diversity stuff. Um, And I guess in addition to that, um, in terms of funding, um, that's one of the roles of the trust is that the trust can, um, apply for funding. Um, that goes outside of, um, the New Zealand AIDS Foundation. But at the same time, um has a commitment to, um to the foundation um because that's that's part of our [00:43:30] genealogy. As a as a as a, um for yeah. I mean, we're currently drafting an MOU between, uh, the love life for charitable trust and the NZAF. Um, board. Sorry, my brain. Um, uh, because we, uh we agreed it was really important to even though you mentioned like, um, a lot of the funding is tied up in, uh, a HIV [00:44:00] money. And, um, I think, uh, we wanna be able to, uh, ensure that the some of the prevention mandates are still, um, protected, um, and love life and considered And that, um, the the partnership is is there and that there's a clear understanding that doesn't necessarily, um it can also carry those responsibilities. But it doesn't have to use that as the overarching, uh, thing that holds [00:44:30] the trust together, Um, because it needs to grow into something new. Just a question. Uh, do you, with your professional role at the University of Auckland and were you able to the the the work that you did with the love life was that were you able to do that as part of your professional role on behalf of the University of Auckland. Or was it purely of a voluntary nature, or was it more or less of a monetary? Um, you know, [00:45:00] a donation from the university, you know, towards the love life. I just be interested in the role that the university had with really promoting this great scheme. You ask a good question. Um, so in terms of in terms of the university, the University of Auckland represents the rainbow community as a as an equity group. Um, basically, that, um, requires, um, support and and and creating enabling environments. And so [00:45:30] I guess, in a sense, me participating was, you know, uh, and I I I'm a member of that rainbow committee. Uh, the committee, um was the university investing in this particular event? I mean, we've we've funded a couple of objects, I think, um, during the funnel. So, yeah, it was kind of, um, and works pretty supportive Of what? What what most of us do. Um, in communities, especially with Pacific Pacific communities. Yeah. Did I answer your question? Sorry. Hey. Yeah, [00:46:00] I did. Uh, I just gonna say, um, congratulations on a wild presentation as, um, as a longtime supporter of a life, love And I've been to every one of those, uh, today I was really saddened to hear about the death of a young Samoa, Um, LGBT person. And I just want to ask you whether what other measures [00:46:30] or or or steps that, uh, the trust plan to do about reaching out to our young people, Uh, who faces the challenge and II. I do believe that the challenges come from the community from their their families, the pressures of their families. I do believe we should should have some interventions and especially grooming young leaders to take on the roles of reaching out to our community in order to to [00:47:00] to put the case for that, that there is a need that our kids are slipping through the cracks because we're not addressing that situation. So I just ask you what you plan to do. It's a really good question. Um, we definitely invested in our partnership with who, uh, we've been working with for the last two years on the development of a suicide prevention resource that's tailored for Pacific young people. Um, but beyond that, we haven't as a I guess [00:47:30] trust or a board sat down specifically, it's It's definitely another thing that's on the list. Um, but, um, myself and my role at the NZAF um, have been working with that organisation to help develop a a suicide prevention resource. And then we also facilitated the space for them to to come and present at love life to be able to have that really difficult and heart wrenching discussion as well. [00:48:00] Um, I think that one of the things that we we can do as a trust at this point in time is just facilitate that space for intervention or support. Um, I'm not sure what intervention would look like, and it has to be a group effort, I think, from all corners of our community and not just, um, love life. Um, but I think we can start there with, uh, creating safe [00:48:30] spaces to talk about it where people can share. Um, and we're definitely part of that, and we're definitely invested in that at the moment. I hope that was helpful. But one thing I just want to say, like, is someone who lives in. And I was only there for a little bit of pride festival that was on, but you know, Pacific performers just shone through that and also, you know, even before that, you know, other events that have happened [00:49:00] during the year. I didn't get to see everything, but, you know, if you were stunning those voices of all of those people who've come through the Avondale Pacific, um, performing arts out there at the and it's just I just wish that those stories could cause the night I was there, there was there was Pacific people, some from our community. But the wider Pacific community was there, and the community was very part of the queer Trans [00:49:30] community was very small in the audience. I think it was a bit better some of the other nights, but those stories were so powerful, so being able to share those with more parts of our community would be wonderful. And they were really hard, like one of them was about suicide. And but they were also about resilience. And, you know, I had we were, you know, I cried and I laughed, and I just was on such a high. And I think that was, you know, for anyone I heard so, you know, [00:50:00] thank you to your communities for all of that that you give. And it enriches our community up in Auckland. And I know that, you know, that's a part of your life, too. As an artist. I think it's so intrinsic, though, to Pacific people in general, Um, we come from like oral traditions. And so the story and narrative is so prevalent and so relevant to our community that, um it's like bleeding in public. [00:50:30] Um, you can see it like on the surface, we might seem like really happy. And, um, I don't know cheerful people, but I feel like we pick our moments to be vulnerable. And, um, what it is great to see is is the volume and the quality of, uh has just been raised in the last couple of years. But we come from that tradition. I remember as a kid watching videos of CIA, Samoa, like travel around Germany and stuff and like, [00:51:00] uh, travel the world and do these incredible cabaret shows. And, um so, um, I don't think yeah, I. I really acknowledge what you say And II I hope, as an artist, because I have a personal investment just on the creative side that we can, um, start to digitise some of that and, um yeah, and hold our history. Um, because so many new people are coming into the fold and becoming more visible. Um, and there has to be a way that we can show that [00:51:30] that value and cultural richness, Um, and so that it doesn't kind of dissipate, you know, Um, but yeah. Uh, Auckland. And it's great to see uh, a Pacific presence in the Auckland Pride Festival that is meaningful and not token and not, um, uh, Polynesians and Hollis skits and singing and dancing, but real engagement and opportunities to talk and speak and share stories. So, yeah. Do you, um [00:52:00] yeah, Thank you as well. I just like to propose a bit of thanks on behalf of the organising committee. That was a very interesting presentation and just the way you sort of really were all embracing it. But different sectors of the community, I thought was very impressive. Especially with that Zumba and as a employee of the New Zealand Ace Foundation, um, you know, with the way you have broadened, you'll work in a very positive direction [00:52:30] in terms of just promoting the safe sex message. You know, um, we certainly don't have anything quite like this down here in the greater wanting an area where different things happening. So, really congratulations to you both on your presentation and the work that you're doing. So this is just a gift on behalf of the, um the, um the organising committee. I know. Yeah. Good. Many thanks. [00:53:00] Thank you very much.
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