The 9th annual Mr. Gay New Zealand Competition officially started on 19 December 2016 with candidates being able to register their interest in the highly contested title. Last year’s competition which saw record numbers of entrants and finalists was won by previous Mr. Gay Wellington, Bernard Lee, who represented New Zealand at Mr. Gay World 2016, hosted by the European island nation of Malta. “We want to celebrate diversity in our LGBTI+ community, especially in Aotearoa. Since our 30th anniversary of the Homosexual Law Reform this year, it is clear much has improved in terms of LGBTI+ rights in New Zealand.” Despite New Zealand’s progress Bernard stresses that there is still so much work to be done, “It is vital for that diversity to be clearly represented in our future role models particularly in our search for Mr. Gay New Zealand 2017.” The winner of Mr. Gay New Zealand 2017 will be announced at the NZAF's Big Gay Out on Sunday the 12th of February 2017. READ MORE
