Michael Stevens examines the charity’s 24/25 financial year and hopes a brighter future is ahead for New Zealand’s longest-running LGBTQ+ organisation.
Outline Aotearoa’s history goes back over 50 years. Starting as “Gay Welfare” in 1972, it became “The Auckland Gay and Lesbian Welfare Group” in 1986, then “Outline” in 2007. Over the years, Outline has consistently supported thousands of people in our communities. It is truly a community taonga. Today, however, its future is uncertain, with serious financial challenges outlined in its latest annual report. So what went so wrong?
Following Outline’s 2025 Annual Report and AGM, it’s no secret that the charity is in crisis. The report records a $186,000 deficit, and cash reserves are expected to be depleted by the end of this month.
Outline lost funding last year, one of many NGOs around the country to see core financial support vanish with little notice.
Leadership decisions during this period have drawn scrutiny. The previous CEO, Claire Black, was known for providing thorough monthly reports covering finances, calls taken, and other key information to assist the board in its role. Former board members say that under Black, the focus was on core counselling and community support services, seen as a prudent approach given political and financial uncertainty. When Black departed the organisation, Emmaline Pickering-Wilson was hired as Outline’s new CEO.
During Pickering-Wilson’s tenure — she resigned in May 2025 after 16 months in the role — staffing structures changed, with counsellors brought in-house as employees rather than contractors. According to sources familiar with board discussions, two board members resigned in 2024, citing concerns about financial transparency and governance.
The Annual Report outlines a number of factors contributing to the financial strain: $100,000 in “un-provenanced credit card transactions”, $505,000 spent on wages, $57,000 on koha, $24,000 on national travel, $15,500 on international travel — which sources allege included multiple staff attending a conference in Fiji — and $16,500 on professional development. It also notes an outstanding tax debt of between $65,000 and $80,000 to Inland Revenue, with a repayment agreement “not maintained”.
Some former board members allege that during this period, proposals were made to donate substantial sums to external projects such as birthing units and dance troupes. They further allege that when certain board members opposed these ideas, they were told their concerns were interpreted as racially motivated by some in the organisation. These accounts have not been independently verified.
The board states that since June 2025, costs have fallen by 87%, largely due to reduced staffing levels and tighter controls. The report also points to “a lack of controls and policy” in financial management and notes that public fundraising efforts in late 2024 — though valuable — were initiated “without full Board oversight”, revealing gaps in internal coordination.
Governance is a specialist skill, and the hope is that lessons have been learned. At the July AGM, three new board members were appointed, bringing governance experience, strong community ties, and a stated commitment to setting things right.
The Annual Report warns that Outline is “at risk of trading while insolvent”, which would breach the Charities Act and Incorporated Societies Act. Trading while insolvent is illegal, and the IRD can be unforgiving. The organisation’s financial position will be further discussed at its upcoming Special General Meeting.
Outline is an organisation built on the backs of five decades of volunteers. While it has been a very rough time for the organisation, it is part thanks to the amazing job by those volunteers and the organisation’s kaimahi that things have kept functioning, and communities have continued to be supported.
A couple of people have asked me, “Do we still really need Outline?” My answer is an emphatic yes.
Tens of thousands of volunteer hours and significant community fundraising have sustained Outline over the decades, providing a lifeline to those in need — whether a scared 16-year-old in the suburbs or an 80-year-old lesbian in a small town. Outline was there then, and it should still be there in the future. Let’s hope it will be.
