Samoa. Fa'afafine. Pacific Mental Health Specialist. Former Associate Head of Nursing & Health Studies Department, Manawatu Polytechnic (now UCOL). Represented Pacific people in Parole Board, Capital &Coast and Hutt Valley DHBs, Mental Health Commission, ALAC Board,, Psychologist Board, Pacific Arts Council, also NGO and Community development, NZAF, Founding member Pacific Island AIDS Trust. Strong supporter of Rainbow development especially Pacific e.g Moana Vā.

Awarded NZ 1990 Commemoration Medal, MNZM for Public Health,JP for 30 years. Currently self employed Karlis Partners-Mental Health & Wellbeing Specialists.

Amanaki Prescott-Faletau is a Tongan Fakaleiti who has recently been nominated for 5 NZTV awards for her impressive work, Inky Pinky Pinky. She has extensive skills as a professional choreographer, dancer, actress, writer, tutor and creator of new work. She was a co-recipient of the 2015 Play market Over-All award for Plays for Young People and in 2014, won the Auckland Theatre Awards Best Newcomer. She has also been a judge for several years in the NZ Streetdance National competitions. She is the Lead Choreographer and co-founder of Fine Fatale dance.

A stalwart of the New Zealand beauty Industry Tane Tomoana (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngāti Hamoa) is the embodiment
of mana Māori/ Moana/ Motuhake, stylist to the stars spanning a 25yr career. Tane has worked with some of NZ biggest Names and brands here and Globally. His work has featured on the cover of Vogue and Time Magazine with an extensive editorial portfolio. Hailing from the tiny Marae settlement just out of Hastings, growing up on Waipatu Pā is what Tane believes gives him the point of difference, Manaaki like no other rooted in utmost service to all.

With a new direction since cyclone Gabrielle changed Hawke's Bay lives forever, Tane is pursuing new endeavors in Marae and Hapū resilience and community support.

MahMah Timoteo identifies as a fat, queer, Cook Island vā'ine and uses any pronouns with respect. They are an Environmental Anthropologist who has just recently submitted their PhD thesis through the University of Canterbury. Their thesis explored the lived experiences of Pacific peoples and their navigation of climate change spaces within Aotearoa. They are a Pacific student advisor, researcher, and lecturer whose interests lie in fat liberation, Pacific peoples and community, climate change, and decolonisation. Alongside this, MahMah takes great pride in advocating for their communities in spaces that they have created online. MahMah along with their community uses these spaces to disrupt and dismantle oppressive systems that continue to harm our most marginalised communities.

My name is Annie Kaio - born and raised in the beautiful island of Samoa also known as the Pearl of the Pacific. I am 29 years of age and currently reside in Hastings, Hawkes Bay working as an LGBTQI+ peer support for the rainbow community at Mapu Maia Hawkes Bay.  I come from a loving family with parents who have nurtured, loved and supported me for who I am. I am the 8th child of eight siblings.  I am a strong advocate for my Fa'afafine/Rainbow community here in Hawkes Bay and am the founder of the Hawkes Bay Fa'afafine Association also known as Teine o le Apu.  I represented the Hawkes Bay Fa'afafine community at the annual Miss Samoa Fa'afafine Pageant held in Samoa and I was blessed enough to be crowned the new Miss Samoa Fa'afafine 2023 - 2024, what a blessing to be the ambassador for Fa'afafine in Samoa and abroad.

My name is Jeremy Faumuinā, my pronouns are he/him. I'm a devoted husband to my wife Shelley and a dad to our five children. I’m a fierce advocate
of the MVPFAFF+ and LGBTQIA+ Communities. I'm known as a multipotentialite: Communicator, Social Worker, Motivational Speaker, Public
Relations Consultant, and Design Lead of various Educational Leadership Training Programmes across Aotearoa and Sāmoa. My passion is people! Being a finalist of the New Zealand LGBT 2018 Awards for Corporate Ally and winner of the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZSW) for Pacific Peoples Practice Award 2023. These achievements and many others I am very proud of. Having worked in the Youth and Community sector for 25 years, I have an astute awareness of how to teu the vā (build and nurture relationships) which has allowed me to work in various businesses, non-for-profit, government agencies, community groups, board groups, families, and currently for the New Zealand Police as a Social Worker in helping serve Aotearoa.

TK is a teacher ‘by trade’ gaining her degree in 2014. Growing up with her Māma, Pāpa and 5 siblings in Te Atatu, West Auckland.

Ko Whetumatarau te maunga

Ko Awatere te awa

Ko Horouta te waka

Ko Awatere te marae

Ko Te whanau a hunaara me te whānau a Tuwhakairiora ngā hapu

Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi

Kei te taha o tōku Papa Nō Pa Enua Rarotonga, Mangaia me Aitutaki. Since playing rugby at 5, TK it’s been connected to TK’s cultural identity. She is a World Champion with the 2017 Black Ferns. An integral aspect of TK’s rugby contribution is her tikanga for Māoritanga. She helped enhance the mauri of the Black Ferns haka and waiata. In December 2021, TK made a social media post exposing the toxic environment of the Black Ferns. This resulted in a formal review, an apology from NZR and the resignation of then Head Coach. This situation made national and international news; and it was a lot emotionally for TK to absorb. TK has learnt so much through this experience and is ready to share and tautoko others in their journeys.

Whānau a Kai, Ngāti Oneone, Te Āitanga a Māhaki, Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Co. Clare, Co. Tipperary   

Elizabeth is a LGBTQ activist and scholar of national and international renown. She has been active within Rainbow and youth development sectors for over 30 years and mentored over 50 youth leaders. She is Founder/Chair of Tīwhanawhana which advocates for takatāpui to “tell their stories, build communities and leave a legacy.” Elizabeth’s PhD on takatāpui identity and well-being is required reading in universities here and overseas. Her takatāpui suicide prevention resources are used in health and school settings across the country and Elizabeth brings Te Tiriti o Waitangi/takatāpui-based advice to research projects addressing assisted reproductive health and family formation; LGBTIQ youth health and well-being; trans and non-binary health and well-being; and intersex human rights.

As a Member of Parliament in the last term, Elizabeth broke records with the petition that led to banning conversion practices, contributed to new gender markers on birth certificates for trans, intersex and non-binary people and she introduced the term ‘takatāpui’ into legislation for the first time in the reform of the health system. She advocated strongly for communities across her electorate of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti including to change a river back to its ancestral name in the Hawkes Bay, reinstating a housing programme in Waimana and more support for whānau in the Tairāwhiti where she lives. 

Fuimaono-Tuimafuiva Falesataua Joshua (Mush) Iosefo is a Pasifika queer multi-disciplinary artist from the villages of Salani, Lalomanu, Palauli and Apolima in Samoa as well as Alofi and Liku in Niue. Born and raised in South Auckland, Joshua is the co-founder of community theatre group Odd Family Arts Collective Charitable Trust and also runs an independent academic arts practice called Mush’s Shop of Magicks based at Wheke Fortress. Joshua studied Communication Studies at AUT majoring in Television and Screen production where they were awarded Graduate of the Year and completed their Masters in Philosophy (First Class Honours) where they examined intergenerational Pasifika queerness and vā fetū - the space between stars. Joshua’s work examines the intersections of astrology, Samoan indigenous reference and alchemy and explores themes such as family, queerness, mental health, healing and indigenous futurisms. Joshua is most known for his poem/TEDTalk Brown Brother, award-winning short film Forgotten Dawn Children, award-winning play Odd Daphne as well as other performances and publications within the spaces of poetry, theatre, academia, astrology and healing. Joshua hopes that their work past present and future is able to reclaim, remix and restore the timeless language of love and cosmic power of connection.

Fine Fatale are a cutting edge, performing arts, LGBQTI Pasifika group. They have consistently smashed out high quality, innovative, boundary pushing Pasifika work over the last seven years. Their co-founders and directors are Mario Faumui (Tikilounge Production content director, actor, choreographer and creative) and Amanaki Prescott-Faletau (freelance dancer, choreographer, writer and actress).

Fine Fatale are a strong stunning voice for a minority community that attract a wide-ranging audience in New Zealand. They appeal not just to the LGBQTI and fa’afafine communities but also to the dance sector and the youth demographic. The group's aim is to clear space and create opportunities to highlight the fresh & fierce outstanding talents of our Māori and Pasifika Queer communities (LGBTQI+ and MVPFAFF+).

Sophie hails from Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Ngāti Porou and Rongomaiwahine. A 25-year-old wahine, she embraces the roles of a sister, kōtiro, and mokopuna, and has a fierce dedication to her whānau, Iwi Māori, and her Takatāpui community. With a background in Politics and International Relations, as well as queer advocacy, Sophie currently manages Te Ohu Uenuku, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Te Rangi Iwi Trusts' pioneering Takatāpui service provider— the first of its kind. This kaupapa emerged from the imperative to honour and expand the essence of Takatāpuitanga, not only within the iwi but also throughout Te Ao Māori. Sophie is resolute in their commitment to cultivating spaces that unwaveringly celebrate and uplift Uenuku whānau ki Tauranga Moana me Aotearoa whānui.

I am a leitī of Tonga, born, raised and still living and serving in te tai tonga o Tāmaki Makaurau. I am a child of my Tonga-born and raised parents, Albert and Monika Wolfgramm. Our lineage connects to ʻUtungake, Fungamisi and ʻOtea in Vavaʻu, Niuatoputapu and Kolonga in Tongatapu, Niuatoputapu and intersects with Pyritz, Pomerania, Prussia/Germany and England via Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. I am a sibling to one sister and 4 brothers and an aunt to my 13 nieces and nephews. I choose to MANIORO in mental wellbeing spaces, guiding and bearing witness to the full empowerment and embodiment of Pasifika Peoples.

Tangaroa Paora is of Muriwhenua descent. They hold a Master’s degree in Māori Development (First Class Hons) and a PhD in Art & Design. Their research is primarily focused on gender role differentiation and its impact on forms of Māori performance. Between 2020-2022 Tangaroa was co-president of Tītahi ki Tua (the AUT Māori Students Association), Ahakoa Te Aha Takatāpui community group, and the Auckland Pride Māori Advisory Board. Tangaroa is currently a lecturer of Te Ara Poutama Faculty of Māori & Indigenous Studies at Auckland University of Technology. Tangaroa attributes their passion and love for Māori Performing Arts having grown up under the many Kapa Haka experts and performers of Hoani Waititi Marae in West Auckland.

(he/they) – Vaimoso, Vaigaga

Senior Lecturer in Global Studies and the Director of Fofonga for Pacific Research Excellence at the University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau. As a fa’afafine scholar, he is the Queer and LGBT+ Studies Collection Editor for Lived Places Publishing in New York and the Principal Investigator for the Manalagi Project. Manalagi is our country’s first health and wellbeing research survey funded by the Health Research Council, designed with, by and for Pacific Rainbow+ communities across Aotearoa-New Zealand. Born and raised in South Auckland, he received his MA from Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea and his PhD from the University of Washington-Seattle.

He mokopuna o Tauranga Moana, He pōtiki manawa uu o Ngāi Te Rangi Iwi. Born and raised in Tauranga Moana, the eldest of 6 kids and a university drop-out. Maru Samuels began their journey within Te Ao Takatāpui as an intern at Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Te Rangi Iwi and only 2 days in, created the first Kāupapa Takatāpui within an iwi organisation. Te Ohu Uenuku, though only being a little over a year old, has rapidly infiltrated Tauranga Moana, emerging as a significant pou not only for Tangata Takatāpui but for Te Iwi Māori as a whole. Maru feels fortunate to receive not only the unwavering support of their iwi but also the platform to inform, educate, and call out those who need it.

Nephi Tupaea, Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Tiipa, Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Ngāti Kahungunu, is a multi-media artist and long-standing member of the artist collective Pacific Sisters and Iwi Toi Kahungunu. Renowned for her creative dance performances, installations, body adornment, spoken word, fibre activation and innovative costume designs, Nephi’s art practice is guided through tupuna intervention, where tikanga creates new conversations and develops indigenous symbols and images.

Nephi has exhibited works throughout Aotearoa (New Zealand) and internationally, which include the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Toimairangi – Te Wānanga o Aotearoa New Zealand and Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) Austrialia, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Carriageworks Arts Centre, the Biennale of Sydney Australia.

Nephi is a graduate of Toimairangi, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa with a Bachelor of Māori Art, Maunga Kura Toi. Born 1971, Hastings, New Zealand.

New Zealand born , proud leiti tongan , raised in the heart of west Auckland. I’m an athlete at heart and have had the opportunity to be a representative in the New Zealand mixed and men’s netball teams both indoor and outdoor. I’ve also been part of the dance company Fine Fatale and have done shows such as, ‘Le freak’ , ‘The Heels are Alive’, and ‘Fever (return of the ula)’. I  have also played small roles on films such as ‘Inky Pinky Ponky’ , ‘Panthers’ , and ‘Fresh Fairytales’. She is her , she is me , she is Missy , period x

Co-Founder/Executive Director of Nevertheless Trust, Takatāpui and hails from Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Fasito’outa and Salamumu, Samoa. 

Shaq’s background is in Psychology, Counselling, and Music. She is passionate about equity for Takatāpui & Pasifika Rainbow, MVPFAFF+ peoples. Nevertheless Trust established the Manioro Nu'u Rainbow Hub in Hawkes Bay.

Kia ora, Talofa lava, Malo ni. My name is Khloe Tauave Lam Kam. First generation NZ born, Samoan, Tokelauan descent. Eldest of 3, Mother/Aunt of 7 and currently living in South Auckland. Choreographer and dancer for Ma'ine Kweenz, actress and comedian lol. I am passionate about the well being of our MVPFAFF+ community, mental health and success. In my spare time I love to eat, watch movies and spend time with my children; whom I love with all my heart.

O lou igoa o Lana Shields, my pronouns are she/her. I am mother of two Samoan daughters Selina and Alex and grandmother of two. I decend from the village of Vao vai in Upolo Samoa. I am the Operations Coordinator of Moana Vā and within my many roles throughout my many years of living, I advocate and support the wellbeing and success of Pasifika peoples. My connection to MVPFAFF+ and Pasifika Rainbow has been through immediate family members who through my eyes, I saw nothing different but then seeing the way they were treated by others, realised I needed to be an upstander not a bystander. I am very much a connector of people and value and nurture the relationships I have built within my communities. I am very proud to be a part of the Moana Vā journey as an organisation where not only my aiga/family benefit from the work we do, but get to see the change we are making by raising awareness of our community needs.

Kia ora everyone, my name is Miss Trinity Ice, New Zealand’s leading transgender show girl, born and raised in Ngati Kahungunu. I have a career spanning 15+ years and I have worked with the best Queens & performers in Australasia . Being one of the very few People of Colour (POC) queens to do drag at this level, I always loved breaking glass ceilings and being able to create new spaces wherever I go and educating those about the  LGBTQI+ community through performances & public speaking . I am excited to join the Manioro festival this year as there was nothing like this for me when I was growing up. I am so excited to see the strong visibility of my rainbow community and allies for this magnificent festival. Come one, come all!

My name is Delwyn Keefe, born in Wairoa, 24th of May 1965. Father John Keefe, Mother Mary Spooner. I have 2 brothers Ryan and Henry and sister Tina, I am the eldest. I have 4 children, my eldest is Jace, Kaine, Trinity, and Creedence and I have 8 mokos Kian, Kairo, Jayah, Harlem, Janna, Kovee, Aria, and Armani.  I am a volunteer for Christian Lovelink of Napier and I also own my own cleaning business called Amour Cleaning. I come from a line of royalty in Avarua Rarotonga from my mums mother Teremoana Vakatini .

“O lou soifua maloloina lelei! - Health is wealth!” I am the proud founder and chairperson of Moana Vā – Navigators of Pacific Pride, a collective that supports, advocates, and empowers our Pacific Rainbow+ MVPFAFF+ LGBTQIA+ communities locally, globally, and online. I work as a senior advisor for Tangata Atumotu, a Pacific health and social service provider in Waitaha and as a fitness trainer at Les Mills Christchurch. I am also a doctorate candidate at the Faculty of Health, based at the University of Canterbury. As a nurse and fitness trainer, I am committed to supporting individuals and families in their health journey, and to help inspire and motivate communities with the message that – ‘health is wealth’.

I work in collaboration with stakeholders to advocate for our most vulnerable and marginalised Pacific families. I am passionate about holistic health and well-being, rainbow+ health, and the promotion of physical activity.

• Proud Samoan fa'afafine extraordinaire
• Alumna Australian Catholic University
• Former Samoa AIDS Foundation Executive Director
• Former Secretariat for Pacific Sexual Diversity Gender Network - Regional
• Currently Community Health Navigator for FINE Pasifika Aotearoa Trust
• International Mistress of Ceremonies with Leiti, faafafine and LGBTQIA+ pageants
• Advocate for MVPFAFF+ rights and issues
• And SINGLE

The Ma'ine Kweenz Dance group. Established in 2006, the Ma'ine Kweenz are a multi-generational & uniquely-brown sisterhood that combines like-minded fa'afafine together (both transgender and queer-diverse Pasifika & Māori individuals) through the activities of dance, pageantry, ballroom, cultural events or just simply supporting one another through life. Originally from West Auckland, the suburb of Kelston, the Ma’ine Kweenz have been dancing since 2012 and have been showcasing their own special flare and twist on Pasifika-inspired dances. Traditional & contemporary forms of siva, and the high energy adaptations of the ballroom Culture, Pop Culture, RnB and Hip Hop.

Mosese Finau Pahulu is an actor, dancer and choreographer born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand and is of Tongan descent. She started her professional career as a member of Fine Fatale, a dance company consisting of MVPFAFF+ individuals in shows like Geish Tuiga, Fever, Heels are alive at Civic Theatre, and also starred in an award winning series Inky Pinky Ponky. She received her Bachelor's degree in Performing Arts in 2018 from PIPA and M.I.T. and has been part of the industry since then.

(He/They) - Salelesi, Falelatai, Falelima, Asau

Siapo maker of Sāmoan/Palagi descent, hailing from the villages of Salelesi, Falelatai, Falelima and Asau. Through his workshops, Doron works to create safe community spaces that increase visibility of MVPFAFF+ Pasifika Rainbow joy and expand the community of Siapo makers in Aotearoa.

White Chapel Jak are a lovable Kiwi grassroots band that have been capturing crowds around Aotearoa - with their funk, pop, roots, soul style of music. Think in the genre zone of Six60 and LAB - then sprinkle a charismatic Māori front woman with a bold, soulful voice ... that's White Chapel Jak.

(She/They) - Hamula, Ha’asini - Tonga

Multidisciplinary artist and storyteller who lives and works in Aotearoa. Half Pākehā and Half Tonga, from the villages of Hamula and Ha’asini. Their experiential and immersive photography bring compelling dialogue to the intersectionality of identity and culture. Katoa has studied with the National Geographic Society’s Photo Camp and has continued their studies at Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland.

Aroha Treacher comes from a journalism background, getting her start at the NZ Herald before moving into television working in news and current affairs for Māori Television and TVNZ. After more than a decade of being in front of the camera, she has moved into long form storytelling with documentary projects and television shows. She has been married to her husband Chris Treacher for 21 years and they have three teenage children together.

Chris is from Waipawa and returned to Hawke’s Bay after a career in the military and teaching at a Secondary School in South Auckland. Chris wears many hats, a motivational speaker, a lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science at EIT and a High Performance Coach for local teams including the NZNBL Taylor Hawks, Napier City Rovers and Napier Marist Premier football squads. His most important hat is as a husband to his wife Aroha of 21 years and father to three kids, Kahurānaki, Kiki and Manawa.

Founded by designer Amy Lautogo in 2019, Infamy Apparel is a revolutionary fashion house dedicated to fat advocacy and inclusivity through fashion. Through Infamy Apparel Amy purposefully de-genders and de-colonises high fashion and celebrates the bodies the fashion industry has long marginalised and excluded from popular culture. Her designs are an inspiring, unapologetic celebration of body and gender diversity. Through the use of beautiful fabrics, bold palettes, masterful draping and the exploration of scale to deliberately enhance the curves and power of the human form, Amy busts size and gender stereotypes and reveals the potential of fashion to empower all people.

Ko Whakapunake te maunga
Ko Te Wairoa-Hopupu-honengenenge-Matangirau te awa
Ko Takitimu te Waka
Ko Kihitu te Marae
Ko Te Rauhina te whare
Ko Aio te whare kai
Ko Nga Motu te whenua
Ko Ngati Kahungunu Ki te Wairoa te iwi
Engari he Uri no Rongomaiwahine, Ngati Rangi, Te-Aitanga-a-Mahaki me Ngati Awa.
Ko Miquelle Blake Toku ingoa.
Nga mea Nui Ki au, ko Toku whanau, Ko Oki Hapu me Oku iwi katoa. Proud to be me, Proud to be Maori and Proud to be Takatāpui.
Nui nga mihi Kia koutou... ✌🏼

Toku Parataito Culture Group consists of young talent, hungry minds and under strict and passionate tutelage, our students learn motivation and determination which are skills that the people of today need more than ever. We engage a diverse range of ethnicities and nationalities which reflect the people in the group. From students to tutors to musicians, all people are able to learn essential life skills regardless of their background and personal history. In a time where mental struggle is a shared daily battle, we look to our culture and its physical performance properties to push our people to become strong, powerful, go-getters with a passion and strong connections to their own roots, wherever they may lie.

Rihari is a young and aspiring Maori visual artist, currently studying in his final year at Toihoukura. His objectives are to share stories such as pūrakau, whakapapa, Takatāpui and most importantly mana motuhake and tinorangatiratanga. His iwi consists of Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau a Apanui, Te Aitanga a Māhaki and Ngai Tai.

Local Flaxmere organisation specialising in ei katu and customised phone cases. ‘Ei Katu are Cook Island flower garlands that are worn on the head, traditionally made with real flowers. They have been delivering workshops within the community and also sharing their talents to our Rainbow Anuanua whānau here in Hawkes Bay.

I'm 30 years of age and a proud Samoan Fa'afafine I am from the villages of Fusi Safata and Sāgone. Born and raised in Wellington family relocated here in Napier, Hawkesbay love being creative, enjoy samoan dancing and spending quality time with family.

This kalapu is a Tongan male club used to gather and partake in kava and share songs. A way of fellowship. Nina is a proud Tongan fakaleiti and she's 16yrs of age, she's lived in Hawkes Bay her whole life and she loves to Tau'olunga.

He kākano ahau i ruia mai i Rangiātea - No Tamaterangi tōku mana.

A passion for haka and Māori performing arts, a teacher and life enthusiast. Raised by my Nan in Frasertown to be a koha not a hōhā. Proud to be Ngai Tamaterangi and very much connected to my pepeha. Tangata Takatapuhi and proud!

Tēnei taku manu ka topa, ka tiu i te toi o Tutumapou
Ka kai aku mata ki ngā wai makariri o ōku mātua tūpuna, o Te Hoiere
E karekare atu ana ki tōku āhurutanga, ki Te Hora I rere rā te kōrero
E, ko Kurahaupō!
E, ko Ngāti Kuia te tū ake nei
E, ko Tūtepourangi te mihi atu nei
Tīhei tū paiahaha!
Ko Hariata tōku ingoa.

My name is Hariata, I am a descendant of the 8 tribes of Te Tauihu o te Waka. I am an artist, icon, poet. My goal in life is to facilitate and participate in the liberation of my people from the chains of colonial violence, and to celebrate the resilience, compassion, and love of myself and ngā iwi o Te Moana Nui a Kiwa.

Tīwhanawhan - a community based in Wellington, is open to ‘all Takatāpui, whānau and friends’. Its goals are to ‘tell our stories, build our communities and leave a legacy’. Formed by Dr Elizabeth Kerekere in 2001 supported by Tī Kouka a Trust for Māori women performers, and formalised as a legal entity in 2007, Tīwhanawhana showcased Māori culture on an international LGBTI stage at the Sydney Gay Games in 2002.

Tīwhanawhana aims to uplift the mana of takatāpui through Māori language and culture, and by advocating for takatāpui rights, health and well-being. The vision, ‘Tīwhanawhana ai he kahukura i te rangi – a rainbow is forming in the sky’ speaks to leadership, cultural values and inclusiveness of all people with diverse gender identities, sexualities and sex characteristics. Mana Wāhine ensures a founding principle of the group is the strength and leadership of Māori women as critical to whānau health and development.

Kia ora, my name is Crystal Edwards, and I’m a proud Ngāti Kahungunu woman residing in the beautiful Hawkes Bay. I am a known entrepreneur here in Ngāti Kahungunu and go by the alias Kiino Krystal. From 2013 – 2020 I worked iwi radio as our local Drive Show announcer and broadcaster for Radio Kahungunu. During my time off air I have been a part of many iwi, local and national events and was a Te Reo Māori tutor at Te Pūkenga – EIT | Te Aho ā-Māui Hawkes Bay and travel nationally to facilitate cultural capability within mainstream schools. Ngāti Kahungunu has been the cornerstone to my success, and I am truly blessed to have built respect among my people. My network continues to grow ranging from national to international contacts.

My latest accomplishment is passing with merit my Honors Degree in Te Reo Māori at our local polytechnic Te Pūkenga – Te Aho ā-Māui Hawkes Bay. I always want to grow and nurture my language, simply because this is where I feel most comfortable and where my skills and talents lay. I will continue being an emcee, host and public speaker. And will develop this talent by using Te Reo Māori as a vessel to showcase the events I’m invited too. This is my passion, this is what I was born to do, and I enjoy doing the mahi too.

Teine o le Apu is a local support group for Fa’afafine here in Hawkes Bay who champion empowerment for equal opportunities and celebrating diversity. Our main objective is to share our talents, abilities, and skills with our community and take our unique place here in Hawkes Bay. We were established in 2022 by Annie Kaio and Faleniu Lagaaia to create a strong support platform for Fa’afafine in Hawkes Bay. We have supported our local pasifika families who were displaced by cyclone Gabrielle and our RSE teams from Samoa that were also affected. We are a non-profit organisation and are continually fundraising to support our vision and events within the community.