From the USA to Victoria University of Wellington—Declan's Story
Kia ora koutou. My name is Declan (he/him), and I am working towards my Master’s by Thesis in Environmental Studies here at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. I now call Wellington home but am originally from the United States. Ancestrally, I whakapapa to Ireland, Cuba, and Latvia.
At the time of writing this, I am in the last few months of working on my thesis, where I have had the opportunity to conduct research with other trans men who also call Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) home. As part of this research, I have gotten to speak with other trans folks about their experiences of joy, gender euphoria, and belonging within Wellington. Through doing so, not only have I gained academic insights and valuable research skills, but I have also undergone immense personal growth and fulfilment, connecting with other trans folks and deepening my appreciation for the city in which I live.
Here, my purpose in writing is to share a bit about my experiences, both of being a student at Victoria University and of living in Wellington, in hopes of showcasing some of the many reasons why I have chosen to live and study here.
Before I continue, I want to acknowledge that this article is only meant to represent my own experiences and may not necessarily be representative of all queer or trans folk’s experiences of Wellington or of Victoria University. I hope that by sharing my story with prospective international students, I can showcase some of the reasons why I chose and continue to choose Wellington.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington City
First arriving in Aotearoa New Zealand on a working holiday visa, I fell in love with Wellington before beginning my studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. I arrived in Wellington in the Summer of 2022 for what at the time I thought would be only a few months' stay. Roughly three years later, here I am, nearing the end of my post graduate studies and considering myself so fortunate to call Te Whanganui-a-Tara home.
Moving to Wellington from a suburban town in the Northeast of the United States, one of the first things that stood out to me about the city was its character and walkability. For me, the ability to easily walk from place to place, to go from the central city to the beach or to urban nature reserves in under half an hours' time was unheard of prior to moving here.
In the time I’ve lived in Wellington, I’ve built many strong friendships with like-minded individuals from a diverse array of backgrounds, many of whom I have met through local Queer events, spaces, and organizations. The sense of connection and community I have experienced here has been intensified by the city’s walkability, with my regular walking routes often leading me to run into friends while going about my daily tasks.
An artsy city deemed the “Queerest City in Aotearoa” according to the most recent census, Wellington is a city with many events, organisations, and resources catering towards its rainbow residents. In my time here, I’ve become engaged in various local subcultures, including the local drag scene, where I have met and become friends with many other queer and trans folks.
Compared to other global cities, Wellington is relatively small in both size and population. For many, this has been a driving force to leave Wellington for larger, busier, and more bustling cities. However, for me, this has been part of its charm. I enjoy how interwoven and overlapping my social circles have become since moving to Wellington and enjoy the sense of continuity that comes from seeing familiar faces on campus and around the city.
Victoria University of Wellington
Throughout my time at Victoria University, I have been fortunate to have found immense support and comradery in the space of the university itself, connecting meaningfully with other postgraduate students in my programme and department. Further, I have been fortunate to connect with a supervisor who is supportive of my academic interests and who has encouraged me to pursue research on topics that I am passionate about and that are of great personal relevance to me.
Beyond my department, I have also managed to connect with queer and trans staff and students from a variety of schools and academic disciplines through the university’s Rainbow Research Network. Through this network, I have also gotten the opportunity to present on my research to other rainbow scholars at various stages of my research journey.
Another valuable insight from my participation in the RRN has been the realisation that not all rainbow researchers’ journeys within the university have been as overwhelmingly positive as mine. Conversations with trans and queer academics working across schools and in a variety of disciplines has highlighted the wide variety of experiences that exist and how different the obstacles facing rainbow researchers are across fields and faculties. I consider myself very fortunate to have landed in a space where I feel not only accepted in but also celebrated for my transness within my department, as this is not always the case for queer/trans academics.
Final thoughts
At the core of much of what I have shared is a harmony between my personal and professional lives that I have been able to achieve throughout my university studies. Being able to do research that is close to my heart and closely tied to aspects of my identity has enabled me to show up to university as my whole self, not feeling the need to check my queerness or transness at the door to be seen as “professional”. Instead, my transness and queerness are seen not only as integral aspects of myself, but also as assets to the work I do here.