A Givealittle page for Rainbow Youth has raised more than $41,000 in just 24 hours after the organisation's Tauranga drop-in centre burnt down in a suspicious fire.
Police were called to the drop-in centre on Seventeenth Avenue early on Wednesday morning after reports of a fire.
A spokesperson said police and Fire and Emergency NZ are investigating the fire which is being treated as suspicious. No one was in the building at the time.
The building is one of 60 in Tauranga's Historic Village and is shared by both Rainbow Youth and Gender Dynamix.
LGBTQ+ rights activist Shaneel Lal set up a Givealittle page for Rainbow Youth on Thursday which has raised $41,115, at the time of writing.
"The details of the attack are unknown. However, this is a very distressing time for Rainbow Youth and the queer community in Aotearoa, especially in Tauranga," Lal wrote on the page.
"While we uncover the details, I am putting up this Givealittle for people to donate to Rainbow Youth during this time. All money from this fundraiser will be donated to Rainbow Youth."
In a tweet on Friday, Lal said they were incredibly grateful for the support.
"Thank you to all that have wrapped support around us."
Labour MP and Tauranga by-election candidate Jan Tinetti said she was "deeply saddened" by the fire.
"This has been a place of safety, inclusion and support for our rainbow community in Tauranga - a place where we can celebrate the diversity of our city.
"I've visited the site today to stand in solidarity with our rainbow community. I will be advocating for a full investigation into the cause of the fire," Tinetti said on Thursday.
It comes after Bethlehem College, a state-integrated Christian school in Tauranga, came under fire for its treatment of LGBTQ+ students.
