About Us

RainbowYOUTH is a registered charity, we work with young rainbow youth aged 13-27 and provide holistic peer support. We’re about fostering safe, inclusive, accepting and diverse environments that are sober, family friendly spaces. Scroll through to read about our values, strategies and constitution.

Whāia tō ake ngākaunui, i te pono, i te mārama.

Know who you are, be who you are.

Our motto, gifted by Tīwhanawhana Trust

Our values/ kaupapa

For youth, by youth

Our services, groups, events and organisation are made for youth, and are led by youth.

Affirming and empowering young people from all walks of life.

We affirm and empower young people of all abilities, religions, countries, communities and backgrounds.

Proactively and respectfully honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As the founding document, we recognise the importance of honouring Te Tiriti, and are incorporating this into our kaupapa, our work and our organisation.

Strengths-based advocacy

We know that our young people are brave, resilient, courageous, generous, and so many other great things. We advocate for and with them by focusing on those strengths.

Young people determine their journey

We know that young people are the experts when it comes to what they need and want, and we create the space for them to make that happen.

Our Strategy

  • We are working towards an Aotearoa where every mokopuna*, takatāpui, MVPFAFF+, and LGBTQIA+ young person grows as their most authentic self, and thrives as part of their whānau.

    • Kotahitanga. Embracing and celebrating diversity of gender, sexuality, and identity so all people feel seen, safe, and valued.

    • Partnership / Toitū Te Tiriti. Upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and honouring Māori as tangata whenua through meaningful, equitable partnership.

    • Equity. Removing barriers so everyone has fair and equitable access to opportunities, resources, and spaces.

    • Ngākaupono. Honest and transparent processes allow us to strengthen how we serve our young people, remaining committed to always doing better.

  • Enabling rangatahi to carve a future they dream of.

    This means making sure RainbowYOUTH’s services are evidence-based and responsive to the needs of our community. We provide an affirming pathway for mokopuna* to express themselves, through peer-to-peer support, advocacy and events.

    Strengthening RainbowYOUTH: Our people, operations and governance.

    This means making sure our income is diverse and stable, allowing RainbowYOUTH to focus on providing its services to the community. It also means making sure RainbowYOUTH governance is grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is led by the lived experience of Takatāpui, MVPFAFF+, and LGBTQIA+ young people. And finally, we want RainbowYOUTH to be a safe, affirming and encouraging place to work.

Our Constitution

Our Constitution

Our constitution lays out the 'rules' of how RainbowYOUTH functions as an Incorporated Society.