Rainbow Tick | Toitū Takatāpui

Happy National Coming Out Day! Today, we recognise the strength and resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community and the allies who support them. Everyone deserves to bring their whole self to work, free of judgment and discrimination. That’s why we’re committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all our crew. This week we invited the Rainbow Tick | Toitū Takatāpui team to run Active Ally Training for our New Zealand crew. This is designed to help our team members become proactive allies to the LGBTQIA+ community by covering: 🌈 Experiences of rainbow communities in the workplace 🌈 Active allyship 🌈 Shared values 🌈 Visibility and inclusion in the workplace The workshops provided the opportunity to share the results of the employee perspectives survey our crew completed as part of the Rainbow Tick certification we achieved in July this year. Brave members of our PRIDE team also shared their coming out stories, demonstrating whether you’re a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or an ally, your voice matters. Let’s keep learning, supporting, and standing up for one another - not just today, but every day. #NationalComingOutDay #ActiveAlly #LGBTQIA  

We are proud to have been awarded the Rainbow Tick this offseason! 🌈✅️ Our commitment to making our sport more accessible for all underpins our work with our rainbow communities. Keep an eye out for more initiatives with this kaupapa! Read more about our work in this space: 🔗: https://lnkd.in/g7nNbMmz

Celebrating Tū Ora Compass Health’s Rainbow Tick Accreditation This week, Tū Ora Compass Health New Zealand celebrated its first-time Rainbow Tick accreditation. Accreditation specialist Lucen Liu attended the event at Tū Ora’s Wellington central office with their diverse workforce, and a beautiful homemade rainbow cake was shared. The accreditation was the result of the hard work of the Rainbow Network, led by Lewis Young and Luca Zampese, with strong support from across the office. Throughout the accreditation process, we have seen their ‘Tangata Takatāpui - Tū Ora Rainbow Strategy’ endorsed by their CE Justine Thorpe, along with strong staff engagement, reflected in high attendance at Rainbow workshops and high participation rates in the Rainbow Tick survey. As a local Primary Health Organisation in the Greater Wellington Region, Tū Ora serves diverse communities, including Rainbow communities, and offers sexual health services at Cuba Street. We are proud of Tū Ora’s achievement and look forward to their continued development of initiatives that meet the needs of Rainbow communities with professionalism and care.

This week marks Mental Health Awareness Week in Aotearoa New Zealand. Ten years ago, Rainbow Tick | Toitū Takatāpui launched our services to address mental health issues for rainbow individuals in the workplace and to foster inclusive environments.   As we celebrate our tenth anniversary, we recognize that we still have a long way to go.   A recent study of rainbow youth in Aotearoa shows that only a quarter (24%) of participants reported good well-being, while three-quarters (76%) reported poor well-being. Additionally, two-thirds of participants reported not disclosing their rainbow identity to someone at their place of work because they were worried they would be treated unfairly. (You can find the research report here: https://lnkd.in/gnx2US5v)   We encourage our community to acknowledge the unique challenges faced by rainbow individuals in the workplace and urge employers to maintain an inclusive culture that supports employees with diverse identities.

Another Tick for Tū Ora as the PHO Achieves Rainbow Tick Accreditation 🌈✅ In September, Tū Ora received confirmation it had achieved Rainbow Tick Accreditation from Toitū Takatāpui. The accreditation was warmly received after the establishment of a Rainbow Network at Tū Ora, which saw the rollout of a New Rainbow Strategy and included all staff training and education sessions. The accreditation is a tick of approval and recognition of the hard work of the Rainbow Network. One of the aims is to upskill and improve outcomes for Rainbow communities within Primary Health in the Greater Wellington and Wairarapa region. Rainbow Network Co-Lead Luca Zampese said, he was extremely proud of the achievement for Tū Ora. “Working towards the Rainbow Tick helped us create a strong framework for Rainbow outcomes at Tū Ora. We knew we could do better, so working towards the Rainbow Tick helped kick start the process” he said. “This is just the beginning. We have plans within our Rainbow Network to expand the support we can offer not just to Tū Ora but also to our Practice Network and services.” The strategy outlines key areas for the Rainbow Network over the next twelve months. These areas focus on training and upskilling, improving policies and procedures, and opening opportunities for staff to engage in a safe environment. Rainbow Network Co-Lead Lewis Young said the achievement has been a great way to highlight the work of the Network over the past 12 months. “When Luca and I took over the Network at the beginning of 2024, we took the opportunity to create a strategic plan to guide us in the work we did. We can already see the impact it is having and are proud of the Network, and organisation for its quick adoption of training opportunities” he said. “We are keen to start exploring the next steps, such as how we can support our Practices and Clinical Services. We see an increase in the number of Rainbow communities who engage with our sexual health service, but know, that many don’t engage with primary health, I’m keen to see this change” he concluded. Deputy CE and Project Sponsor Mabli Jones said the Rainbow Tick achievement was a testament to the work of the Network. “We’ve seen the Rainbow Network go from strength to strength this year and are very proud of the Rainbow Tick accreditation. I’m delighted to support and advocate for this approach in Tu Ora, and I am excited to see what happens next for the Network. The Tū Ora Rainbow Network will continue to advocate and support Rainbow outcomes across the region and looks forward to the ongoing upskilling of our kaimahi and Network. Rainbow Tick | Toitū Takatāpui General Practice New Zealand

Kia ora koutou. This week, we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week), an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand. The theme for Te Wiki 2024, ‘Ake ake ake – A Forever Language,’ captures the resilience, adaptability, and enduring spirit of te reo Māori. Te Reo Māori is an ‘inclusive’ language. Well-being is also encompassed within te Reo, for example, ‘manaakitanga’. This is to enhance (aki) the inherent self-worth (mana) of an individual. As we mark our 10th year of delivering rainbow inclusion services, we are excited to announce our new name: Toitū Takatāpui. This name honours the enduring presence of tāngata Takatāpui and underscores our role as a Kaupapa Māori provider of diversity and inclusion services.

This month our team was thrilled to welcome Wiki and Taylor from Rainbow Tick Toitū Takatāpui to our space, where we hosted a regional network event with other accredited network members from Ōtautahi Christchurch. Network members include those who have gone through a thorough evaluation of workplace culture, policies, and practices by Rainbow Tick | Toitū Takatāpui. Once specific criteria are demonstrated and met, members achieve certified accreditation. CerebralFix became an accredited member for the programme in 2024. At the network event we connected and shared learnings and ideas over a delicious breakfast together. Hosting this event was a great way to share our experience with others in the network, and build strong continuing relationships. We are so proud of the work done by our team and other accredited members in the region, alongside the team at Rainbow Tick | Toitū Takatāpui, to create inclusive workplaces for members and allies of the LGBTTQIA+ community. #RainbowTick #CerebralFix #ChristchurchNZ

🌈 Connecting for Progress: Newmarket Rainbow Network Meeting🌈   This week, Kimberly-Clark hosted the Newmarket Rainbow Network meeting at its Newmarket office. This quarterly gathering is a valuable opportunity for Rainbow Tick certified organizations in Newmarket, including Kimberly-Clark and Vector Limited, to connect and share their ongoing DEI journeys. Our Accreditation Manager, Wiki Gillard, and Accreditation Specialist, Taylor Le Cui, PhD, represented Rainbow Tick | Toitū Takatāpui at the event. By bringing these certified organizations together, we aim to foster meaningful connections and explore new opportunities for collaboration.   Interested in joining this vibrant network? The Newmarket Rainbow Network meets quarterly. If your organization is Rainbow Tick accredited and based in the Newmarket area, please reach out to Shayleen Taylor at staylor@kcc.com.

🌈 Rainbow Tick Regional Networking Event in Christchurch 🌈   We're delighted to announce that Rainbow Tick | Toitū Takatāpui recently organised a dynamic regional networking event in Christchurch, kindly hosted by CerebralFix Limited. This gathering was a fantastic opportunity for our Christchurch accredited members to network, share experiences and discuss strategies for promoting Rainbow Inclusion in their workplaces.   Our Accreditation Manager, Wiki Gillard, and Accreditation Specialist, Taylor Le Cui, PhD, represented Rainbow Tick at the event. Following the networking session, they joined the celebration at Chapman Tripp's Christchurch office, where we proudly marked their impressive achievement of Rainbow Tick re-accreditation for the third consecutive year.   By facilitating these important conversations and connections in Christchurch, we aim to raise the visibility of Rainbow and support ongoing discussions about inclusion across the South Island.

Last week our teams came together to celebrate achieving Rainbow Tick re-accreditation for the third year in a row. Whether it be with cupcakes with the Christchurch team or Ben & Jerry’s ice cream at our Wellington and Auckland offices, the teams took a moment to reflect on our progress to date. Accreditation with the Rainbow Tick recognises the dedicated efforts to implement and maintain inclusive practices, fostering an environment where all people can bring their authentic selves to work. We were also joined by Rainbow Tick | Toitū Takatāpui Programme Director Wiki Gillard and Accreditation specialists Taylor Le Cui, PhD, who congratulated the work we have done so far including building strong Rainbow communities and our ongoing commitment to providing regular education and training.