The inaugural members of the Auckland Council Rainbow Advisory Panel have been announced. The funding is coming from the Mayor's office. Len Brown says Auckland's diversity is its strength. The interim co-chairs are New Zealand AIDS Foundation Community Engagement Programme Manager Jordon Harris and Julie Radford-Poupard from Women's Health Action. Members are Aram Wu from RainbowYOUTH and EquAsian, counsellor Audrey Hutcheson, former local body politician and ex Body Positive boss Bruce Kilmister, community drug and alcohol worker Diana Rands, RainbowYOUTH General Manager Duncan Matthews, former Human Rights Commission educator Julie Watson, trans rights advocate Lexie Matheson, Body Positive head Mark Fisher, union delegate Merv Taueki-Ransom and Moira Clunie from the Mental Health Foundation. Auckland Mayor Len Brown first proposed the establishment of a Rainbow Panel at the 2014 Big Gay Out. He says for Auckland to become the world's most liveable city, it must be liveable for all Aucklanders. "This panel will give members of Auckland's Rainbow communities a voice in the same way that the council has provided for other groups such as our young people, our seniors, and our ethnic and Pasifika communities," he says. "Auckland's diversity is its strength and I am proud of the support Auckland Council has provided to events such as the annual Pride Festival and now to the Rainbow Panel." The Rainbow Panel will initially be funded by the Mayoral Office Budget. Councillor Cathy Casey, Chair of the Community Development and Safety Committee and Panel supporter, says it has been a long time coming. "For many years, over successive councils, the Rainbow community in Auckland has been asking for representation in the same way other communities are represented. I'm absolutely thrilled that today the council has truly acknowledged Auckland's incredible diversity and finally given a formal voice to GLBTI Aucklanders. This is an historic day for our Rainbow communities." Four demographic advisory panels were established in the first term of Auckland Council for the disability, Pacific, ethnic and youth communities - two by legislation and two on the initiative of the Mayor. A Seniors Advisory Panel has also recently been created to represent the interests of older Aucklanders. The new Rainbow Communities Advisory Panel will meet later this month to discuss their work plan for their first term. It joins five other Council advisory panels: disability, Pacific, ethnic, youth and seniors.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 3rd September 2015 - 2:04pm