Out

[Rainbow Hangout: Jewellery Making]

Hey everyone! Welcome or welcome back to the semester. Let’s start the semester with a little jewellery making hangout ✨

North Campus:
📆 : Tuesday, 21 July 2026
⏰: 2 - 4 PM
📍: AE103

City Campus:
📆 : Thursday, 23 July 2026
⏰: 2 - 4 PM
📍: WQ314 (Scissors Room)

You don’t need to bring anything, we will provide all the supplies. However, feel free to bring your own supplies or unfinished projects if you’d like!

See you there~ 🥰

As many of you have heard, the government has proposed a new Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill.

We (Out@AUT) condemn this. Like the Treaty Principles Bill before it, this bill solely exists to push conservative talking points without regard to the harm it will cause or the fact that it is a solution in search of a problem that will achieve nothing of value.

So far, the Definitions of Woman and Man bill has been proposed and passed its first reading (out of three required for a bill to become law). It is currently being examined by a select committee. Crucially, this committee accepts submissions from the public, meaning you can urge Parliament to reject it!

You do not need to be a legal expert to make an effective submission, and even something short can have a real impact by demonstrating public opposition. But if you want to write something longer, you can draw on the serious negative consequences such as exclusion, discrimination and lack of legal recognition this will have on trans, q***r and intersex people, along with the need for stronger protection.

To make this easier, there will be a submissions workshop in WQ460 (Te Poro Āniwaniwa/the Rainbow Room) on Tuesday June 9, currently thinking 2pm, so you can make submissions with company and receive help with yours. We'll also be working with AUTSA to write an open letter to the government from AUT's Rainbow community, which will be discussed at the workshop.

Submissions for this bill close at midnight on July 2, so make sure to get your voice heard!

There are a couple other noteworthy bills accepting submissions right now also: one that would allow the police to issue anti-homeless "move-on orders" (submissions close July 2), and one that could make disability support a lot less accessible (submissions close June 12).

If all this is stressing you out, please do not hesitate to contact Elim and Nica (AUT's Rainbow team) for support. It's what they're here for.

A link to some information resources and guides to write a submission is in our bio.

Two Rainbow Hangouts!
We hope you've all had a lovely first semester of the year! We've only got two more events on City before everyone's assignments start to build up, but watch this space if you're up North.

Our penultimate hangout is this very Friday (May 8) from 1-4 pm. We will be receiving condoms and other supplies from the Burnett Foundation, for us to help package for distribution. Come along to the Rainbow Room (Te Poro Āniwaniwa) to hang out with other q***r people and put sexual health items in boxes for the community.

Also, if you're an exec candidate who didn't make the SGM, come to the room or join online via the Discord at any point during the condom packing event if you can so we can vote you in!

And last but certainly not least, we'll be serving pizza in WQ314 Scissors from 2-4 pm on Monday May 11, so come down there and have something to snack on while you socialize and/or study!

Rainbow Hangout: Bracelet Making!

Welcome back to the semester, everyone! For our first event after the break (besides our all-important SGM), we'd like to invite you all to come down to either the City Campus Rec Center (WQ314 Scissors from 1:00-3:00 pm on Friday April 24) or the North Campus Rainbow Room (AE103 from 3:30-5:00 pm on Thursday April 23) to make some fun accessories! Supplies will be provided.