Kia ora e te whānau,

A warm welcome to our new and returning community, as we begin Trimester 2!

Here's what's in our newsletter:

ℹ️ Advice and support
🌈 Te Herenga Waka Pride Festival
👟 Sweat with Pride update

Stay connected:

🌏 Check out the Rainbow Hub for useful information www.wgtn.ac.nz/rainbow

📷 Follow us on Instagram @vuwequitywellbeing and Facebook.

❓ Questions or Queeries? Email rainbow@vuw.ac.nz

Advice and Support

🔎 Updating your name, gender, or pronouns

Learn how to update your preferred name and pronouns on our University systems, including your student email, and how we can support you with legally changing your name or gender.

Te Herenga Waka Pride Festival 2025

🌈 Pride Festival 2025 starts next week and we are so excited!

Gather your friends, and get ready to enjoy a fun-filled line up of events from 14–25 July to celebrate our takatāpui and rainbow communities.

We're kicking it off with a welcome in The Hub:

• 10.30 am–3 pm
• Monday 14 July
• Connect with rainbow community groups from around Te Whanganui a Tara.
• Chill in the hangout zone for rainbow folks and allies.
• get some yummy kai from food trucks in the courtyard.
• Add some queer crafts to your collection.
• All are welcome!  

✨ Want the full scoop? Check out the Pride Festival schedule for all of the event details.

Pride Festival is brought to you by Kahukura—Rainbow and Inclusion | Student Equity and Wellbeing Portfolio, UniQ, and VUWSA 💫

Sweat with Pride

This June, our Te Herenga Waka team fundraised for Sweat with Pride to support vital services for takatāpui and rainbow communities across Aotearoa. We’re thrilled to share that our team exceeded our goal and fundraised $2,252!

A huge thank you to everyone who took part, donated, and cheered us on.

Shout-out to the Vic Student Volunteer Army (SVA) team, who raised over $4,500—Ka rawe tō mahi, team!

From our Te Herenga Waka team, Dr. Polly Stupples, Associate Dean (Students) at the Faculty of Science, led fundraising by a significant margin. We caught up with Polly and the SVA, to hear what motivated them, how they stayed active, and what advice they have for future participants. 

What motivated you to 'get sweaty' this June? 

Polly: I’d heard about Sweat with Pride through friends who’d taken part before, but it was a presentation by our Rainbow and Inclusion Adviser on Rainbow and Takatāpui students’ experiences that really inspired me to get involved and do something positive. We’re also working on equity and inclusion initiatives within our Faculty, so celebrating and supporting student diversity at THW has been on my mind. 

SVA: Some of our members and execs have directly benefitted from the Burnett Foundation’s work, so we wanted to give back by helping others access these important services and resources. Getting involved with a cool initiative that helps others across Aotearoa was a no-brainer! 

What are your favourite and toughest workouts? 

Polly: Some workmates have been trying to get me back into climbing, so SWP motivated me to give it a go—it was super fun, even though I was about 30 years older than most people at the gym! It was a great break from brain-work and a nice way to connect with colleagues outside of work. I also enjoyed my daily walks to work, which can be pretty extreme in Wellington’s winter with wild winds, horizontal rain, and flying recycling bins to dodge! 

SVA: We had many walkers and runners on our team, so that was a favourite daily activity, but the highlight was definitely the dance class we co-hosted with Uni Rec. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten that sweaty jamming to Cardi B, but it was a lot of fun! 

How did your friends, whānau, or colleagues support you? 

Polly: In lots of ways—from keeping me company on workouts and sponsoring me, to cheering me on online. My daughter became my official social media advisor—an essential role!  

SVA: Our community supported us in almost every way imaginable. They donated generously, our flatmates kept us motivated with daily reminders, and our colleagues joined us for group workouts. Meanwhile, our whānau cheered us on with supportive messages while we were lying on the ground panting from our latest sweat session! We couldn’t have done it without everyone around us, and we’re so thankful for the community that we’ve found at the University.  

What advice would you give to someone thinking about joining next year? 

Polly: Do it! It’s a lovely, supportive community. While some Sweaty Bettys were running ultra-marathons, most were just getting to and from work, doing housework, or dancing and hula-hooping at home. I love how it encourages us to build wellbeing habits that keep us active and connected with friends during the winter, when I usually feel like hibernating.  

SVA: Give it a go! You have more support than you realise, you can make more of a difference than you think, and there’s nothing holding you back from signing up. Plus, it's a great time! 

Student Column

Do you have a helpful study tip, a way to look after your wellbeing, or a story that might lift someone’s spirits? We want to hear from you!

Send us a short submission for our student column with your practical advice or positive perspective. It could be about:

• how you manage your workload
• what helps you stay connected
• something that made your day better.

Submissions should be:

• uplifting, encouraging, or empowering
• focused on study, wellbeing, or campus life
• submitted as a Word document
• 250 words or less.

We’ll feature selected tips in our newsletter to support and inspire others.

📧 Send your tips to: rainbow@vuw.ac.nz
🗓️ You can submit anytime!
📝 Please note: submissions may be edited for clarity or length.