Board

Moira Clunie

They/Them

Moira Clunie (Te Rarawa) has held leadership roles in the rainbow, youth, mental health and disability sectors over the last 16 years. 

Moira’s current work focuses on rainbow wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention. They are project lead for Te Ngākau Kahukura, a national initiative to improve the environments and systems that support rainbow young people.  

Moira currently co-chairs Auckland and Waitematā DHBs’ suicide prevention strategy governance group, and volunteers as a member of the Professional Association for Transgender Health’s policy and advocacy committee. They recently completed a thesis focusing on rainbow community leadership in the area of suicide prevention, as part of a Master of Social and Community Leadership.

Frances Arns – Treasurer

She/Her

Frances Arns calls Tāmaki Makaurau home, and she is pākehā (from Central Otago area) and German (from Cologne if anyone knows Germany!). Her work experience is in strategy, organisational leadership, finance and service design. Frances has a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting and Management, and worked at ASB Bank in Finance and Strategy. She was the Executive Director of RainbowYOUTH from 2017 to early 2021 and is now a consultant with Deloitte, doing human centered design work. Frances was lucky to have a privileged upbringing as a queer cis woman in Aotearoa. She’s passionate about using the skills and experiences she’s been afforded to improve the outcomes and experiences for others in our communities. OUTLine provides such crucial services for Rainbow folks across Aotearoa and she is excited to contribute to the organisation.

Grace Abbott – Secretary

She/Her

Grace (Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe) hails from beautiful Waiariki, but was born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau. She has a law degree from the University of Auckland, where she works as the Pouāwhina Māori at Auckland Law School and is also currently studying a Masters in indigenous law. She is passionate about indigenous rights, upholding tino rangatiratanga and supporting rainbow communities.

Ricky Te Akau

He/Him

Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Hinemihi, Waikato/Tainui, Ngaati Maahanga

He aha te mea nui ō te ao . . .  he tāngata.

Ricky Te Akau is working in the Rainbow sector and has over a decade volunteering as well as being employed in the sector and now given an opportunity to be able to lend a hand and some insight into being Takataapui in Aotearoa today. He is currently working within Community Engagement through the NZ AIDS Foundation and providing educational opportunities for organisations, clinicians, whānau and those involved in the support of our people at risk.  He also had a background in Event Management, with many corporate clients and gigs under his belt.

Fortunate to live on Waiheke Island amongst the native birds and bush which provides a space to reflect and ponder the good things in life.

Luca Bree

He/Him

Luca has been active in LGBTQI organisations since the 1970’s, including the campaigns for Homosexual Law Reform and the Marriage Amendment Act. In 2019 he transitioned his gender, to acknowledge the man he has always felt himself to be.

Luca graduated with a Master of Health Science, moving from a Home Birth Midwifery Practice to 23 years with the Auckland District Health Board High Risk Team. His research followed Rainbow families planning pregnancy through their experiences with maternity care, and was cited in changes to Youth and Family law.

Early involvement with HIV activism led to providing midwifery care for all women living with HIV in the Tamaki Makaurau region, chairing the Board of Positive Women Inc, and he is the Maternity delegate on the National HIV Forum.

Luca has lived beside Grey Lynn Park for almost 40 years. His home has been a Wharenui for children Rose and Liam, grandson Hugo, and many housemates/friends.

Danika Plowman

She/Her

Danika was born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau. She has always had a passion for helping others but recently has been actively seeking out ways to involve herself in community building, activism, and service work in order to make a more tangible difference to the world around her. She is particularly interested in ways she can involve herself with the rainbow community, as she is so proud to be queer and wants to help ensure others who may be struggling can also come to a place of complete joy in who they are.