Are you Out of the Woods?
We hope, of course, that the answer to that pātai is a resounding YES.
A lot of mahi has been done to silence the stigma from when HIV was first identified and named in Aotearoa. However, if there’s still a few things about the human immunodeficiency virus which you are not so clear on, kā pai. We’ve got the answers (and some super friendly bears) to help you out of the woods below.
First question - Why bears?
The NZ AIDS Support Network released ‘Great Sex!’ in 1984. The iconic piece of ephemera was the first ever pamphlet released by our kaupapa, and what a piece of history it is. Keith Robinson, an illustrative friend of Bruce Burnett, rendered a series of anthropomorphic (and exceptionally horny) carebears sucking, fucking, and generally getting it on to bring public awareness to the best sexual health information at the time.
2026 marked the 40th Anniversary of Homosexual Law Reform in Aotearoa. Law Reform was a massive first step forward for our HIV response, so we thought it fitting to draw some inspiration from that landmark time.
Flash from the past
Check out the Great Sex pamphlet, kindly supplied by Kawe Mahara Queer Archives.
Read here!
The history
It’s important to know that at this time in our post-Colonial history, being gay was still a criminal offense. To make any mention of gay sex, even in the interest of saving as many lives as possible, was a sentence to persecution. Along with language from the queer streets, these bears stood in for the variety of queer folk who were most at risk of acquiring HIV.
Interested in queer Aotearoa?
Tangata whenua embraced diverse gender and sexuality performance long before British colonisation.
Learn more about takatāpui histories here
Today
Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua. This whakataukī reminds us to never lose sight of the places and people we came from. We can reflect on medical progress – such as ART medicine, fully funded PrEP, and U=U – as having resulted from the selfless mahi of many who came before us.
What is there to learn from the past?
Hear deeply affecting kōrero about the HIV-AIDS response from the people who experienced it firsthand.
Listen to 'Our Forgotten Epidemic'
So, what do I need to understand to get out of the woods?
U=U. Period.
- With an undetectable viral load, HIV cannot be transmitted through sex.
HIV stigma is a social construct
- At its core, HIV stigma is related to our belief systems. It’s important to seek out information that challenges those belief systems.
ART medicine can suppress the virus
- These days, specialists can use combination therapy to suppress the HIV virus from replicating.
“Hit hard, Hit early”
- The best approach to reach an undetectable viral load is to get on ART treatment ASAP. This is why it's vital to test regularly and avoid late diagnosis.
Gay men and transgender folk are disproportionately impacted by HIV because of anatomy.
- Homophobic hearsay about why certain people acquire HIV is also a social construct. Give it the chop.
Whenever you discuss HIV, make sure that you are certain of your sources + facts.
- Gaps in information or assumptions about indifferent topics – like a virus – is where stigma grows.
If you're looking for more...
We've got the whakaaro on HIV, including ways that you can be an informed ally to people living the virus.
Read 'Things you can do to reduce HIV stigma'
There's still much, much more to learn
Although in no way as horned-up as Keith Robinson’s illustrations, the 2026 Burnett Bears helped our hero out of the woods, and we hope they shone a light on the HIV virus for you too 🌳
If you’re keen to check out ways that you can leave misconceptions about HIV in the past, check out our mahi below.