Category: New Zealand
Drag Race Down Under finalist Vybe promises glamour, campery and a taste of the golden age of drag when she makes her Palmy Drag Fest debut this October. When Vybe arrives in Palmerston North for Palmy Drag Fest, she knows exactly what she wants to give the audience. “I’m going to give you drama. I’m going to give you campery, and […]
From MySpace breakout and queer favourite to marital fallout and an acclaimed comeback, Lily Allen is turning her private drama into theatre Lily Allen has always known how to make a scene. She emerged in the mid-2000s via MySpace, pairing sweet, ska-inflected pop with lyrics that could be funny, filthy and devastatingly cutting. “Smile” made her a […]
From male intimacy to modern excess, director Stephen Barlow reveals how NZ Opera is reimagining Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers for a 21st-century audience Two men, one woman, an impossible pact and one of the most famous male duets ever written. On the surface, Georges Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers has all the ingredients of a classic […]
With mpox cases rising across the Tasman, Liz Gibbs, Chief Executive of Burnett Foundation Aotearoa, explains why mpox remains an important health issue in 2026, who should consider vaccination, the symptoms to watch for, and why acting early — without fear, stigma or judgement — is the best way to protect ourselves and our communities. […]
Rainbow Games ambassador and proud drag diva Buckwheat shares her top fitness tips to help everyone strut into October’s Rainbow Games healthy, happy and ready for gold medal glory D – Dedication To achieve your fitness goals, dedication is absolutely non-negotiable! Whether it’s hitting the gym six days a week or finding time to do home workouts, being dedicated means showing up […]
Historian Gareth Watkins highlights notable September dates for New Zealand’s rainbow communities 6 September 1957 A large headline in Christchurch’s The Press read “British Controversy On Vice Report”. The article highlighted the newly released Wolfenden Committee’s recommendation that homosexual acts in private between consenting men aged 21 or over should no longer be criminal offences. The Committee argued that it was not […]
A transgender Brazilian content creator says she was left humiliated after Immigration New Zealand cancelled her travel authority while she waited to board a connecting flight to Auckland. Anna Laura Amaral Pimentel Pereira, 27, was travelling from Rio de Janeiro through Santiago to visit her uncle in New Zealand when she was called for an […]
As Moana Vā prepares to deliver netball at Rainbow Games 2026, its team promises Pacific leadership, family-centred inclusion and, most importantly, “vibes!” When Lana Shields stepped onto the netball court at the last Rainbow Games, 43 years had passed since she had played the sport. Like many people returning after a long absence, she had doubts. Would she remember the […]