Āniwaniwa Rainbow

‘Rainbow’ is a broad umbrella term that covers a diversity of sexual orientations as well as gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics. In the 2025 Public Service Census, results showed that Rainbow communities made up 8.9% of the Public Service and the experience of working in the Public Service could be less positive for some people within these communities.  

Rainbow identity was collected using the question ‘Do you identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Takatāpui, Gender diverse, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, Asexual, or as part of any other community captured under the umbrella terms Rainbow, LGBTQIA+, MVPFAFF+ or SOGIESC?’.  

The 2025 Public Service Census found that 8.9% of the Public Service overall identified as being rainbow. This is slightly lower than the 9.4% recorded in 2021, although this may reflect a change in the measurement approach. It remains considerably higher than seen in New Zealand’s LGBTIQ+ population overall, at 4.9% of usually resident adults, according to a Stats NZ 2023 report: LGBTIQ+ population of Aotearoa New Zealand: 2023 

In 2025, rainbow public servants continued to be underrepresented at all levels of management: 5.8% of senior managers (tiers 1 to 3) identified as being part of a rainbow community and 6.1% of other managers, compared to 9.3% of all other staff.  

Age is likely to be a significant driver behind this underrepresentation, with rainbow public servants being considerably younger on average than their non-Rainbow colleagues - this is similar to what is seen in New Zealand’s LGBTIQ+ population overall in the Stats NZ 2023 report. 

Gender is an individual’s internal sense of being a woman, a man, neither of these, both or somewhere along a spectrum. Gender is not fixed and is able to change. Gender information for public servants has been available since Workforce Data was first produced in 2000 but until 2018, only binary — male/female — data was available. 

The latest Workforce Data for 2024 shows 61.9% of public servants are female and 37.2% are male. Results from the 2025 Public Service Census showed a similar female/male split but indicated a greater number of those with other genders/non-binary at 0.6% (about a quarter of whom identified as having multiple genders). 

Based on the 2025 Public Service Census, people of another gender or multiple genders made up 0.6% of all staff but accounted for a smaller 0.3% of managers and leaders.  

The 2025 Public Service Census results indicated that the experience of working in the Public Service could vary for those identifying as rainbow.  

For example: 

• Overall, 12.1% of staff reported being bullied or harassed, but this rose to 15.0% for those identifying as rainbow. 

• 14.4% of all staff felt they had been discriminated against; this was 17.9% for rainbow staff. 

• Rainbow staff felt just as ‘accepted as a valued member of the team’ as their non-rainbow counterparts (78% compared to 79% respectively) but felt somewhat less ‘comfortable being themselves at work/with their colleagues’ (74% compared to 80% overall). 

• While overall, rainbow staff were paid somewhat less than non-rainbow colleagues, this was related to age, with rainbow staff significantly younger (and therefore less advanced in their career) on average than others. When age is accounted for, rainbow staff earned more on average than non-rainbow. See the section on pay gaps for more information.  

• 62% of all staff reported being satisfied overall with their work – for rainbow staff this was lower, at 56%. Related questions showed a similar pattern, with 72% of all staff enthusiastic about their job compared to 66% of rainbow employees, while 55% of all staff were satisfied with their work-life balance compared to 50% of rainbow staff. 

In terms of intersectionality: 

• Rainbow public servants were around 3 to 4 times more likely to also identify as being disabled or neurodivergent, have a mental health condition, or to need workplace accommodations compared to non-rainbow staff. Stats NZ’s 2023 Household Disability Survey also found that disabled people were more likely to be rainbow. 

• Public servants who identified as rainbow were more likely to be European, but notably less likely to be Pacific or Asian. 

Looking at people of another gender and/or multiple genders: 

• 19.4% experienced being bullied or harassed in the last 12 months, compared to 15.0% of rainbow staff (and 12.1% overall) 

• they were more likely to feel encouraged and supported to apply for development opportunities than females and males (57% compared to 52%), but less likely to agree they had access to the learning and development they need to do their job well (57% compared to 64%) 

• had slightly higher qualification levels than their colleagues, with 74% having a Bachelor degree or above, compared to 65% of females and males 
• were considerably less likely to feel comfortable being themselves at work /with colleagues (62% compared to 80% of females and males), or to feel satisfied overall in their job (47% compared to 63%). 

Using the 2021 Public Service Census data, a series of in-depth ‘Deep Dives’ were published on the varied experiences of those who identified with different rainbow communities (such as transgender or intersex staff, or those from a minority sexual identity): 

Deep Dive Sexual Identities 

Deep Dive Rainbow Gender 

Deep Dive Trans 

Deep Dive Intersex