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#colourfulcashel and the PRIDE Endowment Fund

In 2019, The Christchurch Foundation undertook research to help inform donor decision-making. Vital Signs is a tool used to understand the community's perceptions of the place where they live. It looked at the social, cultural, health, environmental and economic wellbeing of the wider Ōtautahi region and identified the key priorities according to residents.


In that research, reducing inequality, celebrating diversity, and making everyone feel welcome were identified as key priorities by the majority of Greater Christchurch residents. We met with the local PRIDE Committee to see how we could support their work. They asked us to raise the profile of PRIDE within the city and to grow their connectivity with the business community. They also voiced a strong desire to have a rainbow crossing in the city. 


#colourfulcashel was The Christchurch Foundation’s response. This was unveiled at the opening of the PRIDE festival on the 5th of March.

The work was designed by Akira Le Fevre, a member of the local PRIDE committee, and adapted by the Christchurch City Council's designers. The Christchurch Foundation funded the project through the generosity of the businesses and individuals. Thank you Kathmandu, Westpac, Fletcher Building, Christchurch City Council, Action Signs, ChristchurchNZ, Mondelez, Men at Work, ASB, Stefanie Rixecker and Amelia Davis.


Andrew Turner, Christchurch Deputy Mayor, said he was pleased to see Ōtautahi Christchurch celebrating diversity, inclusion and its LGBTQIA+ community in such a colourful, high profile and open way.


“The Rainbow community is one of the many diverse groups that make up our city and PRIDE is a great opportunity to celebrate that, to raise awareness, and to ensure that LGBTQIA+ people in our city feel safe, are visible, and can confidently be themselves,” Turner said.


Joanna Norris, ChristchurchNZ Chief Executive, said Ōtautahi Christchurch is a city that embraces inclusivity and creativity.


“PRIDE Week is an intentional celebration of our diverse community, and will bring colour and life to our central city,” Norris said.


“ChristchurchNZ is proud to help promote PRIDE and its activities, and we encourage our residents to get involved and celebrate.”


Jill Stevens, Christchurch PRIDE committee chairperson, said Christchurch faced a lot of challenges over the last 10 years, and PRIDE was yet another symbol of the community pulling together.


“This year’s PRIDE Week shows how partnerships across the city can make us stronger and more unified,” Stevens said.


“One of our goals as a committee is to have people look at Christchurch as a friendly, diverse and warm city, and activities this week will no doubt achieve this.”



To coincide with PRIDE 2021,  The Christchurch Foundation has launched the PRIDE Endowment Fund, with founding gifts from Deputy Mayor Andrew Turner and Kathmandu.


The PRIDE Endowment Fund was established after our research identified that residents of greater Ōtautahi Christchurch want to ensure everyone in our city feels welcome. This fund will support initiatives that celebrate diversity, provide support to at-risk individuals, and showcase our region as a place where the rainbow community is embraced and celebrated.


Donations to this fund will be invested in perpetuity, with the returns being used to support the rainbow community. This approach ensures that your contribution will have a lasting impact for generations to come.




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