"New Zealand Police to take part in Rainbow Diversity Conference"

New Zealand Police is excited to be joining other government organisations for the launch of the inaugural Rainbow Diversity Conference, which is set to take place in Auckland later this week.

The conference, which is the first of its kind, will bring together government agencies with the aim of demonstrating our commitment to working alongside and serving our Rainbow communities.

The Rainbow Diversity Conference will be held over two days on 8-9 November at Auckland’s Jet Park conference centre in Mangere and is open to all government departments.

Inspector Tracy Phillips, Rainbow Connections Diversity Liaison Officer in Tāmaki Makaurau, says the aim of the conference is to build trust and confidence among our rainbow communities and was born from the recognition of a gap in training, development and networking among public sector agencies on Rainbow matters.

She says it was also clear non-government agencies and support networks had no forum to network or engage with regulatory and government agencies.

“Diversity conferences and events traditionally focused on empowering women in the workplace and have not specifically focused on Rainbow inclusion,” says Inspector Phillips.

“This conference shows a serious commitment to promoting diversity in the workplace and is a great opportunity to help break down barriers and stereotypes to support our friends, colleagues, whānau and community.”

The conference provides an opportunity for government agencies to link up with support networks such as Rainbow Youth, Outline, the NZ Aids Foundation, Prostitutes Collective, Body Positive and Positive Women to further understand their roles and how we can work collaboratively to form genuine partnerships that keep everyone in New Zealand safe.

Inspector Phillips says the conference has an amazing selection of speakers including Louisa Wall MP, Dame Catherine Bealy, Dr Sandra Dickson, Mani Mitchell and Huhana Hickey.

“We want to provide staff with tools, contacts, networks and knowledge to better understand and work with Rainbow communities to reduce harm and increase trust and confidence,” says Inspector Phillips.

“The kaupapa for the conference is moving from tolerance to inclusion and sharing the work being done so it is genuine, sustainable and visible.

“This conference provides a visible platform to increase knowledge and understanding, share what works and challenge ourselves to think differently for greater outcomes.”

ENDS

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