“It wasn’t until my teenage years that I understood how many types of colourful people my Aunty [Chrissy] looked after, from queens, working girls, politicians, activists, gang members, troubled teens and many, many more…I will always hold on to the strength she taught me…and the will to never ever give up on your dreams and always look after other people because you never ever know what they're going through at the time.”
– Mischellè Tohu
Though she never intentionally sought the spotlight, Chrissy Witoko quietly became one of the most beloved and vital figures in Wellington, New Zealand’s LGBTQ+ history. As a proud Ngāti Kahungunu transgender woman, she managed to both foster and sustain several welcoming queer gathering spaces there during a time when such spaces were both rare and urgently needed. Best known as the proprietor of the Evergreen Coffee Lounge on Vivian Street, Witoko was more than just its owner and manager—she served as a caregiver, a cultural matriarch, and a pillar of Wellington’s takatāpui and rainbow communities. Thanks to Witoko, the Evergreen, which remained open late into the night, became a gathering place for drag queens, sex workers, gender non-conforming folk, queer youth, and anyone else on the fringes of society. It was a space defined by warmth, humor, and safety—qualities that came directly from Witoko herself, who balanced glamour with grit, and kindness with an unshakable sense of discipline. Her impact on the queer community of Wellington, while perhaps underappreciated at the time, was nevertheless profound, and her name and legacy continue today through the Chrissy Witoko Memorial Trust and via the memories of all those who found home and family under her mothering watch.
Born in Hastings, New Zealand, on September 11th, 1944, Witoko moved to Wellington in the late 1950s where, from an early age, she made her way through the city’s hospitality scene, working in various cafés, clubs, and hotels. She gradually became a familiar and respected presence in Wellington’s nightlife circuit, managing or co-owning venues like the Powder Puff (referred to locally as the Powder Poof), the Sunset Strip, the Hole in the Wall, and the Nutcracker Suite. Other spots she worked at for a time included the Doodle Inn, the Mexicali, and the Sorrento, among others. Most of these venues operated adjacent to or in the heart of Wellington’s red-light district, where late-night coffee houses, strip clubs, and dance halls intermingled with street life and often served its underground queer communities. At these spaces, Chrissy managed to carve out a career for herself as a transgender woman during a time when the world was generally hostile to gender non-conforming folks but concurrently worked to ensure that these places would be businesses where other trans and queer people could find both employment and belonging.
While Witoko was working at the Sorrento, she met a young man named Andrew, with whom she would develop a lifelong partnership. Eventually, she would also become the foster mother to Andrew's son, Nikora. Those close to both Andrew and Chrissy often remarked on how they were utterly devoted to one another and how they continuously provided support to one another for the duration of their lifetimes.
In 1984, Witoko opened her own establishment—the Evergreen Coffee Lounge at 144 Vivian Street—taking over the space from her close friend Carmen Rupe, another notable takatāpui figure in the community. Witoko herself lived in an apartment above the coffee bar. With its jukebox in the corner, Arcoroc cups, mismatched secondhand décor, and collaged walls covered in decades of snapshots, flyers, and business cards, the Evergreen quickly became a sanctuary that felt welcoming to LGBTQ+ people. It stayed open well after other businesses closed, provided a safe place where one could be oneself, and offered a warm meal to those who needed one, or at the very least, a cup of “special coffee”—usually spiked with rum or whiskey. People from all walks of life—queer and straight, housed and unhoused, sober and drunk, grieving and celebrating—would gather at the Evergreen at all hours and often share their stories of suffering and survival.
Witoko excelled not only in her ability to foster community but also in her ability to maintain it. She ran the Evergreen with a famously firm hand, and while everyone there was certainly made to feel welcome, bad behavior wasn’t tolerated. Those who disrespected the space or their fellow patrons were quickly shown the door. Still, Chrissy’s protective nature is what people remember most—how she would walk the block to check on street workers, offer runaways a meal and a phone call, or sit down with young people who had nowhere else to go. She wasn’t afraid to confront trouble when it appeared, but sometimes her presence alone often diffused conflict. “Everybody knew that you could just relax there,” one former police officer named Glenda Hughes remembered, describing the Evergreen as “a place where you were safe, and in those days, that was quite hard to find.”
Witoko’s niece, Mischellè Tohu, also remembered Chrissy fondly as “the one who along with my Nan, dressed me, fed me, made sure I was happy and safe…Aunty Chris was very nurturing but she was also the one you never wanted to get on the bad side of.” Meanwhile, Chrissy’s nephew, Richard (Rihari) Tohu, who was employed by Witoko at the Evergreen when he was a teenager, recalled watching everyone at work and how “My Aunty never judged anyone and because of her and her friends I'm [now] a strong believer in not judging people.”
During the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New Zealand, Chrissy’s care for the community took on even deeper urgency. The Evergreen became a de facto support center for those suffering from stigma, isolation, and illness. Her community work during this period was informal but essential—she organized assistance on an ad hoc basis, provided shelter, and supported individuals who had been rejected by their families. For her relentless community work, she eventually received several Gay Community Awards, including a Glammies Award for Person of the Year and an Alfies Award for Personality of the Year.
When a young Māori transgender woman died of AIDS in 2000 and was denied dignity in death, a group of friends and activists responded by forming the After Life Memorial Trust. After Chrissy’s own untimely death from kidney failure on November 5th, 2002, the Trust was renamed in her honor. With the help of community leaders like Jacquie Grant and a bequest from Peter Cuthbert, the Chrissy Witoko Memorial Trust began to provide funding for funerals, health support, and community events for LGBTQ+ Wellingtonians in need. Today, the Trust continues to support queer initiatives across the region, from hui for takatāpui youth to HIV/AIDS education and storytelling projects.
Sadly, with Witoko’s passing, the Evergreen closed shortly thereafter, revealing how synonymous the venue truly was with its longtime matriarch. But while the venue itself was no longer in operation, its beloved wall collages—which had been pieced together and hung by Witoko herself and which included photos and business cards of all those who had visited it over the decades—were thankfully salvaged and preserved within the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Despite her outsized role in community care and nightlife culture, however, Chrissy remained relatively private and unassuming throughout her lifetime. She rarely spoke publicly or appeared in the press, preferring to show up for people one-on-one. Yet her presence was unforgettable. She was known for her sense of style—glittering dresses, glamorous wigs, a commanding aura—and for her unforgettable 50th birthday party at the Majestic Centre, where she was crowned “Queen Christine of Wellington.” A handcrafted throne presented to her that night remained in her apartment above the Evergreen until the day she died. After her passing, friends and family recalled her elegance, her generosity, her storytelling, and her strength. To her nieces, nephews, and foster son, she was a nurturing guardian. But to the wider queer community, she was someone who created safe spaces and cultivated an environment where it was possible to be out, visible, and feel cared for.
In 2022, Chrissy was posthumously honored with a memorial bench on the corner of Cuba and Vivian Streets, alongside one for Carmen Rupe. The benches were established as a collaboration between PrideNZ, the Chrissy Witoko Memorial Trust and Wellington City Council’s Cultural Heritage team. Their plaques, inscribed with Māori proverbs and the term iriwhiti takatāpui (transgender rainbow Māori), are intended not just to commemorate both community figureheads but also to serve as a touchstone for present and future generations. Specifically, Chrissy’s plaque reads: “Turn and face the sun and let the shadows fall behind you,” and her bench now sits near the very place where she once reigned—quietly, firmly, and with deep love for her community. Though the Evergreen is long gone, replaced by chain stores and office buildings, its spirit lives on through Chrissy’s enduring legacy. Witoko taught those around her that activism doesn’t always look like protest—it can also look like a cup of coffee at midnight, a collage of faces on the wall, or a door that stays open when the rest of the world turns you away.
REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING
Disclaimer: some of the sources may contain triggering material
Clark, Fiona. “Chrissy Witoko at the Evergreen Club, Wellington, 1989.” Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. Accessed May 22, 2025. https://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/collection/2021192/fiona-clark/chrissy-witoko-at-the-evergreen-club-wellington-19.
Hansen, Will Owen. “‘Every Bloody Right To Be Here’ Trans Resistance in Aotearoa New Zealand, 1967-1989.” Thesis, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2020.
“Hidden Home.” Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Accessed May 22, 2025. https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/topic/10139.
McCallum, Hanna. “Wellington’s Transgender Icons Celebrated for Creating ‘Safe Havens’ at a Time There Was Nowhere Else to Go.” Stuff, October 14, 2022. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/130147190/wellingtons-transgender-icons-celebrated-for-creating-safe-havens-at-a-time-there-was-nowhere-else-to-go.
NZ, Pride. “Memorial Seats for Two Icons of Wellington’s Takatāpui Rainbow Communities.” Scoop Independent News, September 3, 2022. https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2209/S00061/memorial-seats-for-two-icons-of-wellingtons-takatapui-rainbow-communities.htm.
“Queen of the Evergreen.” Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Accessed May 22, 2025. https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/topic/3751.
Shaw, Fraser, and Richard Tait. “The Chrissy Witoko Memorial Trust.” YOUR EX, May 5, 2021. https://gayexpress.co.nz/2021/05/the-chrissy-witoko-memorial-trust/.
Watkins, Gareth. Remembering the Evergreen Coffee House and Chrissy Witoko. Other. Pride NZ, July 2, 2022.
“Who Was Chrissy Witoko?” Friends Of Chrissy Witoko. Accessed May 22, 2025. https://friendsofchrissy.tripod.com/id12.html.