Audio from the speeches in Parliament grounds as part of the Pride Hīkoi. The hīkoi began in Waitangi Park, and marched through Courtenay Place, Manners Street, Willis Street and Lambton Quay before ending in Parliament Grounds. The Hīkoi was intended to pressure the Government and Ministry of Health to reverse moves towards restrictions, and guarantee access to puberty blockers and hormones. The hīkoi was organised by a coalition of groups including several high school Queer Students’ Associations, Queer Endurance in Defiance, Pōneke Anti-Fascist Coalition, Wellington Pride Festival, Wellington Pride Parade, and the International Bolshevik Tendency.
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The audio recording from the Wellington Pride Hīkoi 2025 captures a series of powerful and urgent speeches delivered in the grounds of New Zealand’s Parliament. Held on 23 March 2025, this public event brought together community leaders, activists and politicians to advocate for the rights and well-being of transgender people, particularly in response to growing barriers to accessing gender-affirming healthcare. The speeches reveal deeply personal testimonies and broader political critiques, unified in their call for systemic change and justice.
The event commenced with a formal welcome, inclusive of karakia and acknowledgements to mana whenua, setting a respectful and grounded tone. Speakers repeatedly underscored the significance of holding space for community gathering and advocacy within the symbolic setting of Parliament.
A central theme throughout the speeches was the urgent need for accessible, timely, and affirming healthcare for transgender people, especially children and youth. Speakers described prolonged wait times for hormone replacement therapy (HRT), invasive psychiatric evaluations, and systemic medical negligence, with several speakers recounting experiences of being denied care, misdiagnosed, or left in physical and emotional distress due to inadequate treatment. These accounts were presented not only as personal traumas but as structural failings resulting from underfunding, ignorance, and institutional transphobia.
One speaker, Alice, detailed a harrowing multi-year delay in receiving HRT, during which irreversible physical changes occurred. Alice’s story exposed a lack of informed, compassionate care. Others, such as Basil and Ashley, described the mental health toll of navigating transition as minors under a system seemingly designed to delay or deny treatment. These testimonies were emotionally charged, reflecting both pain and resilience, and were aimed squarely at decision-makers who have supported or failed to oppose regressive policy changes.
Political commentary was interwoven with personal narrative. Several speakers criticised the New Zealand Government, including specific condemnation of policies enacted or proposed by prominent figures such as Christopher Luxon, David Seymour, and Winston Peters. The government’s stance on puberty blockers and broader gender-affirming care was portrayed as a thinly veiled assault on trans lives, with comparisons drawn to international far-right movements. MP Benjamin Doyle, representing the Green Party, highlighted the urgent need to defend bodily autonomy and called for public investment in healthcare access and protections for marginalised communities.
Another significant address came from Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, who introduced a Māori-centred health and wellbeing framework called Te Whare Takatāpui. This model integrates whakapapa, wairua, mauri, mana, tapu, and tikanga to support trans tamariki and their whānau. Kerekere described the development of intergenerational resources and forthcoming initiatives focused on trans children, offering a message of cultural affirmation and hope. Her speech emphasised the importance of ancestral knowledge, community solidarity, and systemic advocacy across government and Māori spaces.
Throughout the speeches, recurring messages were expressed: healthcare is a human right, trans children deserve safety and affirmation, and community knowledge must be prioritised when institutional structures fail. Speakers urged those present to continue organising, protesting, voting, and building networks of care and resistance.
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.
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