Two icons of Wellington’s Takatāpui Rainbow communities – Chrissy Witoko (1944-2002) and Carmen Rupe (1936-2011) – are to be honoured with memorial seats in the heart of Wellington’s Rainbow Precinct on Saturday 1 October at 176 Cuba Street.
Located on the corner of Cuba and Vivian Streets, the seats are a collaboration between PrideNZ, the Chrissy Witoko Memorial Trust and Wellington City Council’s Cultural Heritage team. Gareth Watkins from PrideNZ says “The Cultural Heritage team have placed the seats perfectly – in the heart of where Carmen and Chrissy worked, lived and loved.”
Mayor of Wellington Andy Foster has personally backed the project and will attend the gifting event on Saturday 1 October 2022. Gareth Watkins says “Mayor Foster’s endorsement demonstrates the long-standing and ongoing support from Wellington’s civic leaders for our Takatāpui Rainbow communities.”
The gifting event coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week. This year the theme is “Reconnect – with the people and places that lift you up, hei pikinga waiora.” Roger Smith from PrideNZ says “It was important for us to create seat plaques that not only honour Chrissy and Carmen’s legacy, but also affirm and support members of Wellington’s Takatāpui Rainbow communities today.”
For many Takatāpui Rainbow people, it is in their community where they find their whānau and history. This is reflected in the quotation on Carmen’s plaque, “It is your ancestors, your tīpuna, that give you the strength to survive today.” The quotation comes from respected artist Ariki Brightwell (Rongowhakaata, Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare, Raukawa, Rangitāne, Tahiti).
Chrissy’s plaque contains the whakataukī/proverb “Hurihia tō aroaro ki te rā tukuna tō ātārangi kia taka ki muri i a koe. Turn and face the sun and let the shadows fall behind you.”
Both seat plaques display the contemporary term Iriwhiti Takatāpui. Gareth Watkins says “We sought guidance from Gender Minorities Aotearoa and their transgender language glossary. While Iriwhiti Takatāpui is a term that Carmen and Chrissy would not have necessarily heard in their lifetimes, it resonates with many nowadays and creates a strong connection between past and present.”
Chrissy Witoko (Ngāti Kahungunu) was born in Hastings and moved to Wellington in the late 1950s. She worked in many clubs and cafes before establishing the Evergreen Coffee House in the early 1980s at 144 Vivian Street (a short distance from the memorial seats). The Evergreen became a home-away-home for many in the Takatāpui Rainbow communities for almost two decades.
144 Vivian Street was also the location of one of Carmen Rupe’s coffee lounges.
Originally from Taumarunui, Carmen Rupe (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Heke-a-Wai) moved to Wellington in 1967. In just a thirteen-year period she established at least twelve businesses in the city – including coffee lounges, massage parlours, a night club and a curio shop. Many of the businesses were located in the Cuba/Vivian Street area.
Reflecting on Carmen and Chrissy’s legacy, local resident Avon Tautuhi says “They helped create the vibe, community, acceptance and diversity that Wellington still thrives on.”
The event runs 3.30pm – 5pm on Saturday 1 October 2022.
At S&Ms: 3.30pm – Waiata, dignitaries, speeches and memories at S&M’s bar at 176 Cuba Street (R18 venue).
At the seats: 4.30pm – Unveiling of seats on the corner of Cuba and Vivian Streets.
We are asking people attending to sign the two Progress Pride flags that will be used in the unveiling (these will then be offered to a collecting archive/museum in the future).
Note: S&M’s is an R18 venue (a cash bar will operate). It will open before 3.30pm to allow for a prompt start at 3.30. The event will be audio recorded and shared later if you can’t make it. The 4.30pm unveiling at the seats has no age restriction.
