Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura, in collaboration with Rainbow Hub Waikato, set out to find out what life is like for Takatāpui and Rainbow elders. Underneath this broad question sat two desires – to advocate for meaningful inclusion of the needs of Takatāpui and Rainbow older people in strategies, policies and services for older people in Aotearoa, and identify any specific risks of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Woven throughout is the specific, generational contexts our elders have lived through – rampant discrimination and exclusion, including the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s; a more narrow focus than the significant diversity recognised now inside Takatāpui and Rainbow communities; and fierce resistance, pride and celebration that has literally changed our world.
This project heard from:
424 Takatāpui and Rainbow elders via online survey
17 Māori, Pasifika and ethnic people via six focus groups
11 Takatāpui and Rainbow elders via in person interviews
These voices are shared in a report, three factsheets, and sixteen podcasts. The desire to uplift the voices of diverse Takatāpui and Rainbow elders is also reflected in the whakataukī we have chosen: Tukua kia tū takitahi ngā whetū o te rangi – let each star stand out clearly and be seen.