About us
Intersex Aotearoa is the operational arm of Intersex Trust Aotearoa NZ (ITANZ), a registered charitable trust and a non-profit organisation. IA/ITANZ is the peak body for intersex-led advocacy in Aotearoa, committed to providing affirmation and referral for people with intersex variations/ira tangata. By intersex people, for intersex people.
IA is the only intersex-led and national-reaching organisation in Aotearoa. IA lobbies for systemic change within education, healthcare institutions and social environments to make Aotearoa a safe and affirming place for intersex people to thrive within.
This organisation stems from the foundational strength and tireless activism provided by Mani Bruce Mitchell for the last 25 years. Through Mani’s work, ITANZ was able to act as a key member organisation within international intersex movements, and to contribute to historical achievements such as the Malta Declaration in 2013 and the Darlington Statements in 2017.
Our advocacy at IA means working alongside peer organisations, lobbying for change through Government and other legislative bodies, working alongside and with academic researchers, and aligning with healthcare professionals to create the change we want to see for ira tāngata/intersex/ those with variations of sex characteristics.
We do this independently and through collaboration with community, LGBTQIA+ organisations, stakeholder groups and all activists and advocates who are invested in the lives of intersex people.
We centre Te Titiri o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa, and this informs our strategic aims when seeking sovereignty and bodily autonomy for everyone in Aotearoa, especially tangata whenua and ira tangata.
Board Members
Tu Chapman, Chair
Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Taranaki whānui
Kei aku nui,kei aku rahi, e rau rangatira mā, tēnā tātou katoa
Tu is an advocate for change and a proven thought leader on issues relating to applied indigenous approaches in te āo Māori, Tikanga Māori, Social Justice and Wellbeing & development. Tu is passionate about enacting and informing better processes that allow hāpori Māori to grow and thrive. Tu identifies as Ira Tangata (Intersex) and she has spent nearly her entire lifetime fighting to understand what it means to belong, and the importance that whakapapa Māori has on identity.
Tu has a strong professional background in Strategic, Operational and Senior Advisory roles as well as a stable history on Governance Advisory Boards at National and Regional level.
Our Staff
Hannah Kuriger
Business Manager
Pakeha & Endosex Ally
"I'm proud to work for Intersex Aotearoa to create communities and a sense of belonging that everyone deserves by the nature of being human"
Hannah comes from a background in nonprofit work with a strong equity focus.
She has three children and is based in the Manawatu.
Dr Rogena Sterling, Board Member
Dr Rogena Sterling, Board Member
(Skart/Intersex, of Scottish descent, living on the lands of Waikato-Tainui)
Dr. Sterling is currently a lecturer and researcher at the University of Waikato. Their focus is on human rights; identity/well-being; privacy and data sovereignty; customary law; (inter)sex/gender issues. Their thesis and research centres around human rights and interests. Their work has involved rights and interests and engagement, for example, they have worked on outlining the rights and interests in data; CARE principles (for Indigenous peoples) in the open data space; developing a framework for Māori data privacy along with kaumatua; developing frameworks for eDNA Māori engagement processes; and intersex issues in health and education. These have been presented at numerous conferences and talks and widely published. They are on a number of advisory committees and have had a Ministerial appointment to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Board.