Welcome to our rainbow community at Unitec! We support safe and inclusive spaces for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or any other sexual or gender identity.
On this page:
- Support services
- Support people
- Facilities and spaces
- Scholarships and awards
- Rainbow community resources
Support services
To officially change your name, you need to send name change documents to Student Central. Find out more about the name change process with Student Central.
Free counselling sessions are available to all Unitec students, on campus and online. Find out how to book counselling services.
Support people
Student advocate
Our student advocate can help you to:
- Understand Unitec policy and procedures
- Make a formal complaint
- Resolve experiences of being harassed, bullied or feeling unsafe.
You can email our student advocate: studentadvocate@unitec.ac.nz or visit the student advocate page for more information.
Ally Network
Our Ally Network is a group of non-judgmental volunteers from within the rainbow community, as well as supporters. Ally Network volunteers can be identified through the rainbow symbols you might find on their office doors, email signatures, lanyards or badges.
✔ Ally Network volunteers (allies) can help with:
- Questions around gender and sexuality
- Peer support for queer identifying students
- Referrals to support services
- Suggestions for activities and events
- Raising awareness of diverse sexualities and genders (DSG) issues
- Supporting diversity on campus
- Advocating for the Ally Network
✘ Ally Network volunteers (allies) CANNOT help with:
- Expert advice on sexuality or gender
- Professional counselling
- Legal or medical advice
To become a Ally Network volunteer, email ally@unitec.ac.nz.
Facilities and spaces
- Gender-affirming medical care at Te Puna Waiora
Gender-neutral bathrooms
Check out our interactive campus map below for locations of gender-neutral bathrooms on Mt Albert campus:
Scholarships and awards
Diverse Gender Scholarship
There are two Diverse Gender Scholarships available each semester at Unitec. The purpose of the scholarship is to support more inclusive learning environments for gender diverse students.
See our Diverse Gender Scholarship page.
Rainbow community resources
You can access a range of resources for the rainbow community online.
Rainbow Auckland
Students have free membership to Rainbow Auckland. They offer members networking and social events, as well as grants, scholarships and awards.
Visit the Rainbow Auckland website.
Express magazine
Express magazine has been New Zealand's leading LGBTQIA+ media since 1992.
Check out the Express website.
Other LGBTQIA+ websites
Rainbow Youth—Auckland-based organisation for rainbow people up to 27 years old
OUTLine—Free phone and email counselling for rainbow people
GayNZ.com—Rainbow news and events website
Burnett Foundation Aotearoa—Info on safe sex and HIV/AIDs
Village Collective—South Auckland–based organisation for rainbow Pacific people
Rainbow New Zealand Charitable Trust—Further information on rainbow scholarships
Gender Minorities Aotearoa—National transgender organisation
Create our Ally Space
The Ally Network is creating a safe Ally Space at Te Puna, Mt Albert campus.
We want to know what you need a safe space to be. Send us an email with your ideas and feedback: ally@unitec.ac.nz.