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Greetings from New Zealand, land of the long white cloud. Listening to Cleave was like listening to my own story. Just the names and the places are different. New Zealand is a country about the size of California, consisting of three main islands and [00:00:30] many smaller ones. Down under. In the South Pacific, we have a population of 3.5 million people and 60 million sheep. New Zealanders are a culturally diverse communities, from European to Pacific Islanders and Asians. [00:01:00] Auckland, of course. Auckland, our biggest city, has the largest Polynesian population in the world. Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand are an important part of my country's consciousness. Tribal values and culture [00:01:30] are promoted by local and national government. The New Zealand Quilt Project was founded in 1988. The first official unveiling was in 1991. At this occasion, there were 32 New Zealand panels and 48 Australian. [00:02:00] This was the first time that I had seen the quilt I found I could not stop crying. So strong was the emotion and the impact of the quilt. As I am HIV positive, there is extra emotion up to this point. I had not wanted to be any. I had not wanted [00:02:30] to be part of any HIV group. But the quiet power of the quilt showed me how I could be involved and an organisation that is not only a memorial to those lost to HIV related diseases, but also educates through prevention and the understanding of the issues [00:03:00] that surround a positive diagnosis. 500 people have died in New Zealand, 1000 are known to be HIV positive. It is believed there is also 1000 more who have not tested. I now speak at high schools and to other groups [00:03:30] and I'm surprised how many people still believe that HIV does not affect them are sad factors that until somebody dear to them says they are positive, will the real impact of the pandemic be felt? In the smaller towns with populations of 10 [00:04:00] to 50,000, there is a There is more of a It doesn't happen here attitude. People living with the virus in these centres do not have developed social services, so the New Zealand Quil Project displays help raise badly needed funds. Local residents are always surprised [00:04:30] by the numbers of New Zealand New Zealanders affected. The media hardly ever do stories about positive New Zealanders. Sorry. Usually it is what is happening in America or Africa. This hopefully will change with a documentary [00:05:00] that has been made on the New Zealand Quilt Project and to be shown next week. But, alas, not on prime time television. We are now considered to be a national treasure, and we have local coordinators and four other cities. Apart from arranging visits [00:05:30] and displays, a large part of our time is spent looking for funds. And in an era where social services are being cut, this is not an easy task. I am looking forward to attending this conference and meeting everybody to exchange ideas that will enhance [00:06:00] all our projects. Thank you.
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