BEGINNINGS

Agender New Zealand Inc. 
Agender the New Zealand support group for  transgender  people  was  founded in March 1996 by Claudia and Janet McKay  as C.D. ROM  to provide friendship and   support for cross dressing men. (Cross Dressers Real Ordinary Men.)   As membership  grew and other transgender people, transsexuals, women and men linked up the group became more diverse.  At the 2001 AGM the name was changed  to Agender in recognition of the diversity of the transgender membership of the group.  C.D. ROM is now a division  of Agender

Christchurch 
The Christchurch group had its beginnings  in meetings in members’ homes. It was formed as a group of Agender in August 2000 at a meeting in the New Brighton Collingwood Centre of Age Concern.  Monthly support group meetings and   social occasions brought together a small  diverse group of  transgender people.

THE VISION

Drop In Centre 
The vision of a safe, inner city drop in centre for the transgender and wider Rainbow Community originated in June 2001.  A small notice in the Press invited community groups to apply for space in Te Whakaruruhau ki Ōtautahi, the Christchurch Community House, at 187 Cashel Street. Agender applied for use of the resource room on Wednesdays. This provided an opportunity to introduce Agender over the weekly house morning teas to other tenant groups and to judge their degree of comfort and acceptance of  Agender.  Te Whakaruruhau ki Ōtautahi proved to be a very warm and accepting community.

The Rainbow Room 
Securing a COGS seeding grant of $500 for rent enabled Agender to apply for its own space in the Community House.  An office on the first floor was secured and Agender moved in as a full tenant group. A small celebratory party to mark the occasion was held in December 2001 and Tim Barnett MP for Christchurch Central launched the Rainbow Room.

GROWTH 

141 Hereford Street
The move to the new Christchurch Community House, 141 Hereford Street, took place over Queen's Birthday Weekend 2002. Room 113 provided a vastly improved space for the continued growth of the project. In December 2002 the first birthday was celebrated. By the end of 2004 community awareness of the work and the growth of the client base saw the Rainbow Room staffed by two volunteers and open five days a week.

Rainbow House Ōtautahi  
From early days there has been the dream of residential support services as well as the drop in centre.  This dream became reality with the securing of a lease on a three bedroom villa with a two bedroom sleep out at 443 Tuam Street, Linwood.  On Saturday February 19th 2005 Rainbow House Ōtautahi, the home of Agender Christchurch and Omnigender Foundation was born.  A celebratory House warming party on April 1st marked the occasion and we have now celebrated the second birthday of Rainbow House Ōtautahi.

TODAY

Agender Christchurch Incorporated.
On July 6th 2007 another milestone in the evolution of Agender was reached. Agender Christchurch became an incorporated society affiliated to Agender New Zealand. Agender Christchurch Inc. now has a strong local committee with  responsibility for Agender’s work in the South Island.

Chair: Joanne Clarke                             
Treasurer: Jane London
Secretary: Michelle Smeaton               

In 2008 our lease expired in Tuam Street and we re located our residents and office to 114 Halswell Rd, Halswell.

    .