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We're here in Waitangi Park. It's the out in the park, gay and lesbian, transgender, bisexual and intersex Fair plus plus plus. And the reason that we're here is for two reasons. So visualising the issue of intersex. But also, we're here talking about this time next year as the World Conference. So this is a conference, a human rights conference, [00:00:30] and exciting. We will have the world here, so we will have people from literally all over the world. Um, probably about 600 delegates and the conference will be in the centre. So if people are interested, they can go online and register. And conferences are not everybody's thing, but the really important thing. We are hosting the conference. So every night of the conference there will be events. [00:01:00] And if people are interested in and hosting people from around the world, then they certainly should contact us. Is this the first time? Uh, the conference has been held in New Zealand. It's the first time the Elga Conference has been in this part of the world. So it's never ever been done into the Pacific before. So the conference last year was in Bangkok, and typically you would go opposite so it would go back to Europe. But because [00:01:30] it's never been to the Pacific before, it had never been to Asia before. There was a decision to come down here. So you know, it's huge. Have the themes been announced yet in terms of what the conference will be about? The Elga themes have not been announced. But we the host, um, who hold, if you like, create the basket that the conference is held in. We're very clear that there will be a visible of indigenous culture. [00:02:00] So the conference will be held in Maori values, and this is a profoundly important issue all around the world to visualise indigenous culture. So I think in our community in general, we we're at a point where we need to create safe spaces for the marginal members of our community and get better at recognising the diversity. If you like, of the rainbow community [00:02:30] and thinking about as we move forward, we need to move everybody forward. Um, and not the privileged members of our of our community. It was really lovely earlier on hearing, um, Mayor Justin Lester saying that he wants to make something really big for next year, Whether I think he was he talking about a kind of a like a rainbow precinct around Cuba Street. And we're just starting to explore that I want the whole city just glittering and rainbow. Um, so at night, every single [00:03:00] shop window would would be, you know, filled up with coloured lights. I I absolutely. And you know, last night I was watching the on the harbour and I just towards the end, the WAKA crew went out with a little LED lights on the back and I thought, How cool is that? Like, we've got a beautiful, magnificent city and I think we could make the experience of people coming here to to a incredibly memorable. [00:03:30] So a conference with 600 delegates is not just going to happen by itself. Who's organising it? Is it? Do you have a huge team of people? So Elga organises the conference, and that's the reason that they do it only once every two years because it's a huge undertaking. But the other thing about next year it's the 40th anniversary. So, you know they have 40 years of history of doing this. They know how to do it, and they do it incredibly well. I've had the privilege [00:04:00] of being to two world conferences, but there must be a local component. That's that's that's helping organise. So how it works is that, um, local community groups and there's three of us. So there's intersex trust to and Rainbow Youth, uh, the host. And so we hold. We do all the on on ground local logistics, and then the conference itself arrives from over the world. And if people, [00:04:30] if people are interested, they can register online. There's a website, Um, if people want to be involved in the conference in terms of presenting, then they can contact one of us. And you were saying that it was the 40th anniversary, and that is the 40th anniversary of Elga itself. So there's two anniversaries, and this is quite important and significant. So the first is the 40th anniversary of Elga. So when it was set up and it's the oldest gay and lesbian [00:05:00] organisation in the world, so you know that's important. But next year is the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, so it's going to be a a dual anniversary. So I want to also make sure that our conference visible S and and celebrates our street queens. You know, because when we talk about gay liberation, that was actually our our street queens who got out there and started the fight with the police. This sounds like an amazing, [00:05:30] amazing, um, event. Well, it's gonna be a It's gonna be over a couple of weeks. Is it? So the actual conference is over a week, But the Elga world board and their representatives arrived the week before, so, yes, there will be people here in Wellington for a fortnight, so yeah, get excited, um, ideas and get in touch with us.
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