Auckland Pride Festival
The Auckland Pride Festival is an annual festival held in Auckland, New Zealand. It began in 2013[1] and is New Zealand's largest Pride Festival.[2] The Auckland Pride Festival is overseen by a board of community members, there is also a Festival Director and a Parade Director who respectively organise the Festival and Parade.
Auckland Pride Festival | |
---|---|
Genre | LGBT pride parade and festival |
Frequency | Annually |
Website | https://www.aucklandpride.org.nz |
The festival was also brought together a number of other queer and queer supporting festivals and events in Auckland. They include the Same But Different Festival, Heroic Gardens (until 2019[3], Ending HIV NZ Big Gay Out and Bear Week New Zealand (until 2019)
History
2013
First Auckland Pride Festival
Board members
Name | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|
Gresham Bradley | Co-Chair | |
Megan Cunningham-Adams | Co-Chair | |
Linda Heavey | ||
Richard (Richy) James | ||
Lexie Matheson | ||
Gurv Singh | ||
Julie Swift |
2014
2014 saw protesters demonstrating against the Israeli Embassy's presence at the parade[4].
Board members
Name | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|
David Coltman | Co-Chair | |
Megan Cunningham-Adams | Co-Chair | |
Linda Heavey | ||
Andy Jalfon | ||
Lexie Matheson | ||
Gurv Singh | ||
Julie Swift |
2015
In 2015, the New Zealand Police were allowed to march in their uniform[5].
No Pride in Prisons, a group formed in 2015 due to the participation of the New Zealand Police and Department of Corrections[6]. One of the protester was injured during an altercation with security staff at Auckland's Pride Parade[7]
Board members
Name | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|
Megan Cunningham-Adams | Chair | |
Daniel Mussett | ||
Julie Swift | Secretary | |
Richard (Richy) James | Treasurer | |
Phylesha Brown-Acton | ||
Paul Patton | ||
Gav Hyde |
2016
No Pride in Prisons brought the parade to a hault with a protest coming from the opposite end of Ponsonby road to clash with the parade. This protest was again for the rights of transgendered persons in prisons[8].
2017
The board banned the New Zealand Department of Corrections from walking in the parade as they did not follow through with promises to improve support for queer prisoners[9]. The board worked together with the Department of Corrections and the community to implement change within the prison system for queer prisoners due to the previous protests that happened in 2015 and 2016[10].
Board members
Name | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|
Kirsten Sibbit | Chair | |
Richard (Richy) James | Treasurer | |
Julie Swift | Secretary | |
Lexie Matheson | ||
Sonya Apa Temata | ||
Zakk D’Larté | ||
Jaycee Tanuvasa |
2018
This was the 6th year of the Auckland Pride Festival, there was over 80 events in the festival[11] and 70 floats in the Parade.[12] Jacinda Ardern became the first New Zealand Prime Minister to walk in the Auckland Pride Parade[13].
Renée Gerlich and another person who called themselves "feminist activists" held a sign that read “stop giving kids sex hormones, protect lesbian youth” for a short distance along the parade route before being asked to removed by parade staff[14].
2019
The Auckland Pride Board made the decision after a number of community hui (meetings) to not allow Police to march in their uniform for the 2019 Auckland Pride Parade.[15] This decision was highly controversial, and a number of sponsors withdrew financial support in response, including Vodafone, NZME, ANZ, BNZ, Westpac, Fletcher Building, and SKY City.[16][17][18][19][20][21] In response to this withdrawal, those who supported the Board's decision created a crowdfunding page, which raised $30,468.40.[22]
Some of those who opposed the Board's decision signed a motion of no confidence, and called for a SGM. This motion was defeated at a SGM on December 6, 2018.[23]
A splinter group, "Rainbow Pride Auckland" formed to recreate a Parade, following a controversial period which saw the Auckland Pride Parade become OurMarch, a smaller scale grassroots march.
Board members
Name | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|
Cissy Rock | Chair | |
Michael Lett | Secretary | |
Zakk d’Larté | Membership | |
Phylesha Brown-Acton | ||
Emma Henderson | ||
Ta’i Paitai | ||
Verity George | Resigned following ban on uniformed police[24] | |
Matt Jackson | Resigned following ban on uniformed police[25] |
2020
A new Pride director for Auckland Pride, Max Tweedie was hired to "empower and celebrate queer voices in our community like never before." [26]
Auckland Pride's 2020 Festival was the biggest in the organisation's history with 75% of the 154 event roster being free or koha entry. [27]
Auckland City Council's Proud Centres added 81 events to the festival, offering free council venue use to groups wishing to have an event in the Auckland Pride Festival. The New Zealand AIDS Foundation's (Ending HIV) Hauora Series gave funding to events in the Auckland Pride Festival that "focused on improving the well-being of diverse rainbow communities", adding 18 events to the festival. Spark New Zealand's Pride & Spark Empowerment Initiative helped fund 16 events.[27]
Board members and advisors[28]
Name | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|
Cissy Rock | Chair | |
Kaan Hiini | Secretary | |
Zakk d’Larté | Membership | |
Duncan Matthews | Treasurer | |
Phylesha Brown-Acton | ||
Michael Lett | ||
Robyn Vella | ||
Shaun Hindt | Tikanga Takatāpui Activator | Non-Voting |
Kyle Habershon | Youth Advisor | Non-Voting |
2021
At the 2020 AGM, Auckland Pride Festival voted that they will not engage in a working group with NZ Police or have a relationship with the NZ Police until the Police are able to demonstrate that they are practising anti-racist behaviours. They will also be leaving InterPride.
Board members and advisors[29]
Name | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|
Kaan Hiini | Co-chair | |
Robyn Vella | Co-chair | |
Micheal McCabe | Secretary | |
Kyle Habershon | Treasurer | |
Piripi Mackie | ||
Michael Lett | ||
Shaun Hindt | Tikanga Takatāpui Activator | Non-Voting |
Major Events delivered by Auckland Pride
Te Takaranga Āniwaniwa
The Auckland Pride Festival was officially started at the Dawn Ceremony where a karakia and the call of the kaikaranga and pūtātara is performed. It was held at Western Park on Ponsonby Road 2017-2018, it then transitioned into Te Takaranga Āniwaniwa for the 2020 Festival and was held in Aotea Square.
Auckland Pride Gala
A variety show for the festival showcasing previews from the talent in the Auckland Pride Festival programme.
OurMarch
The original Auckland Pride Parade, much like the Hero Parade was situated on Ponsonby Road until 2019 where the Auckland Pride Festival lost the majority of sponsorship due to the choice to not allow the New Zealand Police march in their uniforms. The 2019 Parade became OurMarch, which now starts from Albert Park, Auckland and concludes in Aotea Square[30].
OurParty
OurParty [31] (known as PROUD until 2019[32]), is the closing party for the Auckland Pride Festival and is now held after the march.
- 2013 – Victoria Park Markets in Auckland
- 2014 – Victoria Park Markets in Auckland
- 2015 – Victoria Park Markets in Auckland
- 2016
- 2017 – David Hart and Claudio Girardi (from the Sexshooters), Yo! Mafia, and Courtney Act performed at Studio Bar in Auckland[33]
- 2018 – Dan Slater, Le1f and Empress Stah performed at Q Theatre in Auckland[34]
- 2019 – The official closing party for the Auckland Pride Festival was cancelled[35]
- 2020 – Aotea Square in Auckland
See also
- Hero Parade
- LGBT rights in New Zealand
- Gay pride parades
References
- "Auckland Pride Festival 2013 - a first peek". 9 December 2012. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "Auckland Pride: Top 5 things to see". 31 January 2018.
- http://ponsonbynews.co.nz/article-detail/show/1163/
- http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9748373/Auckland-Pride-Parade-shines
- https://gayexpress.co.nz/2014/06/uniformed-police-will-march-2015-pride-parade/. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - https://counterfutures.nz/3/tie-no-pride.pdf
- https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11406046
- https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11592972
- https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/323603/corrections-not-welcome-at-auckland-pride-parade
- https://aucklandpride.org.nz/decision-re-department-corrections-participation-auckland-pride-parade-2017/
- "Auckland Pride Festival returns with colourful line-up". 15 February 2018.
- "PM takes a bow at Auckland Pride Parade". 17 February 2018.
- "Jacinda Ardern becomes the first prime minister to walk in a Pride Parade". 15 February 2018.
- https://gayexpress.co.nz/2018/02/anti-transgender-protesters-target-auckland-pride-parade/
- "Calls for Pride boycott over uniform ban". 12 November 2018.
- "Auckland Pride Parade loses another sponsor as media giant NZME pulls the plug". 22 November 2018.
- "ANZ and BNZ join list of corporates backing out of Pride Parade as organisers stand firm on police uniform ban". 21 November 2018.
- "Westpac the latest organisation to pull out of Auckland Pride Parade". 20 November 2018.
- "Sponsor Fletcher Building pulls out of Auckland Pride Parade". 22 November 2018.
- "SkyCity pulls out of Auckland Pride Parade". NZ Herald. 2018-11-23. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- "Auckland Pride Parade statement from the Vodafone NZ Rainbow Whānau | Vodafone News". news.vodafone.co.nz. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- "Let's replace Pride's corporate funding with community pūtea - Givealittle". givealittle.co.nz. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- "Auckland Pride Board survives vote of no confidence after banning uniformed police from parade". NZ Herald. 2018-12-06. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- https://gayexpress.co.nz/2018/11/auckland-pride-chaos-another-board-member-resigns-nz-defence-force-and-rainbow-nz-charitable-trust-pull-out-of-parade/
- https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/11/auckland-pride-board-treasurer-matty-jackson-resigns-following-ban-on-uniformed-police.html
- https://aucklandpride.org.nz/media-centre/announcing-our-new-director-of-pride/
- "Largest Auckland Pride Festival confirmed with full 2020 Programme". Auckland Pride Festival. 2020-01-12. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
- "Governance". Auckland Pride Festival. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
- "Governance". Auckland Pride Festival. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
- stuff.co.nz/national/119370579/auckland-pride-huge-turnout-jubilation-as-march-comes-full-circle
- http://aucklandpride.org.nz/media-centre/auckland-pride-announces-key-dates-for-the-2020-pride-festival/
- https://aucklandpride.org.nz/auckland-pride-announces-key-dates-for-the-2020-pride-festival/
- https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2017/proud-2017/auckland/newton
- https://aucklandpride.org.nz/events/proud-2018/
- https://www.andrewwhiteside.com/?p=1512