With rainbows, dancing, comedy, music, games, and even kai. The Big Gay Out 2026 saw a large number of people flooding into Coyle Park.
Te Ao Māori News spent the day at the Big Gay Out speaking to Māori and Pasefika about why the communities need to show up to kaupapa like this.
Mōku ake, he wāhi haumaru tēnei mō te hunga takatāpui. Kua roa nei te Māori e whakamana ana i tēnei āhuatanga o te takatāpui.
— Social Media influencer, Chancey Henry
Historically, LGBT has always been quite white exclusive but in a Aotearoa kind of context thats not our reality, so I think it’s really important for us as Pasifika and Māori to show up to these beautiful kaupapas because we exisit in these spaces just as much as everybody else.
— InsideOUT kaimahi, Taongahuru Kopa
Ko tēnei te kaupapa nui mō ngā whānau takatāpui, tēnei rā whakahirahira, Big Gay Out, nā te mea kei konei ngā ratonga hauora, kei konei ngā whare wānanga hoki. Ko tēnei tētahi rā nui, kia whakanui, kia whakangahau i tō tātou nei whānau takatāpui.
— Co-Founder of Tend Health, Dr Mataroria Lyndon
Representation is absolutley big. As takatāpui, as whakawahine, as a fa’afafine, working at the event we want to see our community here just as much.
— Burnett Foundation kaimahi, Samora Kake
I think it’s really good like being here and seeing everyone like living their truth and being themselves, like it’s so cool to just see people being themselves openly and freely and that’s really what this is all about.
— Social Media influencer, Kris Fox
Ko te ātaahutanga o ngā kaupapa pēnei i tēnei nē? Te whakanui i te tuakiri o te tangata, ko te kotahitanga, kāore i kō atu, kāore i kō mai nē? Tēnei mea te takatāpuitanga, te ira whititanga, kāore ōna whakawā, nē? E kite ana i waenganui i ngā iwi katoa e noho mai ana ki Aotearoa, ngā iwi nō ngā moutere o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa me ngā uri anō hoki nō ūropi, he takatāpui nē? He whanaunga anō hoki tātou ki a tātou i raro i te korowai o tēnei mea te pride, te uenukutanga nē? Kua whakauenukutia te iwi ki konei.
— Te Pāti Māori MP, Oriini Kaipara
When we look around our whānau, whether your Māori or Pasifika or whoever, we have whānau that are from this community that wants to identify themselves and it’s our job as politicians to make sure that you can be you, no matter who you are.
— Labour Party Rainbow Issues spokesperson, Shanan Halbert
