Te Papa may cancel Wellington ‘anti-trans’ summit due to safety

Tuesday, 14 May 2024

Te Papa has not yet decided whether to cancel an event described as “hostile to trans people”, but the organiser believes the event is going ahead.

The group, Inflection Point NZ, is holding an event on Saturday at Wellington’s Tākina conference centre that it’s describing as a “summit” to stop the Government “gender indoctrination and medicalisation of our children”.

After a meeting with Tākina manager Andrew Dorrington this afternoon, event organiser Rhys Williams said he was “very confident” the event would be going ahead.

The group would 100% have taken Tākina to court if the event was called off. “And I think Tākina took that on board,” Williams said.

A spokesperson for Te Papa, which runs Tākina bookings, said nothing had changed since the meeting and cancellation was still possible.

“We are aware a protest is planned against the event, because of concerns that its content and speakers are hostile to trans people.

“We are actively monitoring the situation and reviewing the health and safety and security arrangements to assess whether the event can occur safely.”

Jonathan Ayling, the leader of the Free Speech Union, said he had attended this afternoon’s meeting to remind Tākina of their duties under the law. “We have received a commitment from them that the event will proceed.”

Inflection Point NZ describes itself as a “group for middle NZ that has become ‘the oppressed majority’”. It sees itself as countering “radical progressivism, amplifying the voice, principles and liberty at NZ’s core”.

Speakers include Brian Tamaki, whose Destiny Church members painted over rainbow crossings in Auckland and Gisborne, as well as Bob McCroskie from Family First, journalist Jennifer Bilek and Ro Edge from Save Women’s Sport Australasia.

Wellington City councillor Nīkau Wi Neera became aware of the booking on Monday for the council-owned Tākina centre and posted on social media that he had spent the day trying to “shut it down if we possibly can”.

But by Tuesday morning his position had softened with some members of the queer community supporting the event going ahead and those who opposed it staging a counter-protest.

The event went against the council’s push for inclusion and supporting the queer community, he said.

Pōneke Anti-Fascist Coalition, one of the groups organising a counter-protest to the event, said in a post on X that it had not called for the event’s cancellation and disputed that the counter-protest would cause violence or danger.

“We dispute all allegations of violence or danger as a result of planned protest action … We have held many successful 100% peaceful, non-violence counter-protests over the last few years and intend to continue to do so.”

Event organiser Williams said critics of the event needed to let other people have a point of view and described the counter-protest was “not very good optics for their side of the argument”.

A statement from Te Papa, said it was aware of a planned counter-protest, “because of concerns that its content and speakers are hostile to trans people”.

In a statement, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau said Te Papa and her council were monitoring the situation and “how we best protect our queer and takatāpui whanau here in Pōneke”.

“I am deeply concerned that rhetoric being discussed at this event is harmful to our trans and queer community. Make no mistake, I completely and utterly condemn hate against our rainbow whānau anywhere in Aotearoa.

“Wellington City Council has a long-standing commitment to recognising diversity and inclusion in the capital. Building a city that rainbow communities feel safe and included is a key priority for council.

“In this city, discrimination will never be tolerated. Pōneke is a place where everyone can live with dignity, equality, and respect. End of story.”