Making Aotearoa the most queer-friendly country on Earth
Every review passes a baton of trust to the next queer person. "You're safe here. It's ok." Whether you've lived here your whole life or just arrived in Aotearoa, QueerSpace helps you find spaces where you belong.
Join the WaitlistMobile apps for Android and iOS coming April 2026. Free to use. No ads, ever.
The invisible burden
Every day, queer people in Aotearoa face a question most people never have to ask: "Will I be safe here?"
Will they use my pronouns?
Walking into a new hairdresser, doctor, or cafe means not knowing if your identity will be respected or dismissed.
Am I safe here?
Choosing a bar, gym, or accommodation means weighing the risk of harassment, judgement, or worse, with no way to know in advance.
Will I be asked invasive questions?
Going to a new GP or specialist shouldn't mean bracing yourself for inappropriate questions about your body or identity.
Will I be welcome as myself?
Whether you're takatāpui, Rainbow Pasifika, bisexual, non-binary, or just figuring things out, finding spaces where your whole identity is respected shouldn't be a gamble.
Can my partner and I be ourselves?
Holding hands, sharing a table, booking a room. For many queer couples, these everyday moments come with a risk assessment that straight couples never have to make.
Where do I even start?
New to Aotearoa, new to a city, or rangatahi stepping out of school into the world. When you don't have a community network yet, finding safe spaces means starting from zero.
That mental load is exhausting, and it shouldn't be normal. QueerSpace is here to change that.
See it in action
Simulated data for illustration purposes. These reviews are not real.
How QueerSpace works
A community-powered map of safe and inclusive spaces across Aotearoa, rated by the people who actually need it.
Interactive map
Find cafes, healthcare providers, bars, gyms, and more, all rated for safety and inclusivity by the community.
Four-dimension reviews
Go beyond "good" or "bad". Rate businesses across Safety & Trust, Respect & Dignity, Knowledge & Competence, and Inclusive Environment, plus a recommendation score.
Search & filter
Filter by business type, suburb, accessibility features, gender-affirming services, and minimum inclusivity rating.
Safety alerts
Community-reported safety warnings about specific businesses or areas.
Healthcare directory
Find gender-affirming healthcare providers, trans-competent GPs, and inclusive mental health professionals.
Anonymous reviews
Share your experiences without revealing your identity. Your safety comes first.
Your data could out you.
We take that seriously.
For queer people, a data breach isn't just annoying, it can be dangerous. QueerSpace is built with privacy at its core.
No GPS storage, ever
Your location is used for the live map and immediately discarded. We never store anything more precise than suburb level.
No advertising, ever
No ads. No selling your personal data. Revenue comes from premium features and helping businesses improve, not from advertising.
Your identity is never shared
Your personal data, profile, and activity are never shared with third parties. Aggregated, anonymised community trends may be used to help businesses become more inclusive, but never anything that could identify you.
Transparent privacy policy
Written in plain language, not legalese. We want you to actually read and understand it.
Row-level security
Every database query is enforced at the row level, so you can only ever access your own data. This isn't bolted on after the fact; it's how the whole system works.
Privacy by design
Privacy isn't a setting you toggle. It's built into every technical decision, from suburb-level location to anonymous auth.
Why this matters: For many queer people, being outed can mean losing housing, employment, family relationships, or facing violence. Every system in QueerSpace is built knowing that a data breach here has real, life-changing consequences.
What we do share: Aggregated, anonymised community trends. Things like "businesses in this category tend to score low on Respect", or "this region has a gap in trans-competent healthcare." That published data helps businesses improve, and gives advocacy organisations and policy makers visibility into gaps that have never been measured before. We also connect low-scoring businesses with professional bodies who can help. Reviews are public on the platform, but reviewer identities are always protected. Anti-brigading rules prevent businesses from flooding themselves with fake positive reviews or targeting competitors.
By the community, for the community
QueerSpace isn't a corporate product. It's built by and for rainbow communities in Aotearoa. Every review helps the next queer person reduce the uncertainty that comes with walking into somewhere new. That's the baton of trust our community passes to each other, and it strengthens the case for a better Aotearoa tomorrow.
Community-driven
Every review comes from a real person. Businesses can't pay for better ratings or remove honest reviews.
Pay-to-Play
No sponsored listings. No "preferred partners". Ratings can't be bought. Businesses that want to improve get connected to professional bodies who can help, not a higher score.
Community moderated
Content moderation is led by community members who understand the nuances, backed by AI as a first line of defence.
Transparent reputation system
Quality reviews earn more weight. Bad behaviour has consequences. Everything is visible so you know exactly how it works.
Simulated data for illustration purposes.
Fair use limits
To keep reviews genuine, there are fair use limits on submissions: up to 20 reviews per day and 50 per week. These exist to prevent spam and ensure every review is thoughtful. Quality over quantity helps the community most.
The data gap is real
Aotearoa ranks 14th in the world for rainbow community legal equality, scoring 88 out of 100 on legal rights. But the public opinion score? Just 65. And at a city level, places like Auckland are listed as "lacking public opinion data" entirely.
Legal rights
Aotearoa scores well on legal protections. Marriage equality, anti-discrimination law, gender identity recognition. The laws are largely there.
Public opinion
But laws don't tell you whether your GP will use your pronouns, or if the bar down the road is actually safe. That lived experience data barely exists.
Source: Equaldex Equality Index, which tracks rainbow community rights across 197 countries using data from Gallup, the World Values Survey, and ILGA. QueerSpace fills the gap they can't: the street-level, business-by-business reality.
More than a map
QueerSpace serves all rainbow communities. Trans and non-binary people face some of the most acute challenges. Here's why the data matters.
of trans and non-binary people regularly avoid public bathrooms
Counting Ourselves 2022have had to educate their own doctor about their healthcare needs
Counting Ourselves 2022people in Aotearoa identified with a gender other than their sex registered at birth in the 2023 Census, the first time it was asked
Stats NZ Census 2023We know the big picture. We don't know the details.
No survey or government report can tell you which GP in your suburb will prescribe hormones without sending you to a $400 specialist. Nobody is tracking which cafe uses your pronouns without being asked, or which hairdresser won't treat you like a curiosity.
That information lives in group chats, word of mouth, and hard-won personal experience. It disappears when people leave those chats.
What your reviews capture
The small, daily interactions that make people feel welcome or unwelcome. The reception desk that uses your dead name. The bar where nobody looks twice. The GP who actually listens.
What we publish
Aggregated, anonymised trends. Which types of businesses score well. Which regions have gaps. Where things are improving. Individual reviews and ratings are never shared outside the platform.
The census is disappearing
The government plans to replace the traditional census with administrative data by 2028. No administrative dataset in Aotearoa captures gender identity or sexual orientation. The visibility the 2023 Census gave rainbow communities is about to vanish from official statistics. Community-collected data isn't a nice-to-have. It might be all we've got.
Built in Aotearoa, for Aotearoa. Launching nationwide.
Be part of the change
QueerSpace is coming to Android and iOS in April 2026. Join the waitlist to be first to download the app, share your knowledge of safe spaces, and help build something that matters.