Wellington 'The queerest city': Census data may help people feel comfortable to come out, advocate says

Wellington is the country's rainbow capital according to new Census data, and an LGBTTQIA+ advocate says it may encourage more people to come out.

The 2023 Census was the first to capture data on gender, sexual identity and variations of sex characteristics, which was released on Thursday.

It found Wellington had by far the biggest proportion of people identifying as part of the rainbow community - 11.3 percent.

The rainbow population data includes people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, intersex, or have other "minority genders or sexual identities", StatsNZ said.

Wellington was followed by Dunedin at 7.3 percent, Christchurch at 6 percent, Palmerston North at 5.8 percent and Hamilton at 5.6 percent, while Auckland sat at 4.9 percent.

Rainbow Wellington and Wellington Pride Parade board member Craig Watson said he was not surprised - the capital was welcoming of the rainbow community, and people were safe there.

"I can't wait to text the mayor ... and say congratulations on having the queerest city," he said.

"I think it's a great accolade for our city and, I think, a recognition of the work that we've been putting in for years to make it safe for LGBT people."

Some people filling out the Census may not have felt comfortable ticking their gender or sexuality, but that was less likely the case in the capital, he said.

"Wellington has a culture that includes diversity and uniqueness, we celebrate people looking different ... having different perspectives on things," he said.

"We have people that walk around in what people might call 'Wellington clothing' which is out there, you know, vibrant colours ... in Wellington that appearance, that identity is celebrated, and we look after those unique things."

Mayor Tory Whanau was not available for comment, and Wellington City Council has been approached.

More people may be comfortable coming out

The Census data had been a long time coming, and it provided significant benefits for the rainbow community, Watson said.

"One core thing that I believe will happen now is that more people will go, 'oh, okay, the numbers are significantly higher than I might have guessed', and therefore feel more comfortable coming out themselves,"

People who were "resistant" to the community might also realise it is a significant part of the population, he said.

Watson said he hoped the community would have better access to services they may need too - considering communities of a similar size had government ministries set up for them.

Rainbow data a huge milestone - StatsNZ

Rainbow groups had lobbied for decades to have their communities reflected in the data, said StatsNZ principal analyst Adele Quinn.

Inclusion in the 2023 Census was a huge milestone, she said.

"It's really important that we can see the different groups within New Zealand society reflected in the census, and that they can see themselves in the data.

"There's a lot of information need for information around rainbow community data," she said.

There was also demand from government agencies who would use the data to better understand communities and ensure they had the services and support they need, she said.