Record new HIV infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) mean that it’s time for a new “grassroots” HIV prevention campaign in New Zealand says Helen Clark. As Minister for Health and then as Prime Minister Clark helped bring about New Zealand’s internationally recognised response to HIV/AIDS in the early days of the epidemic. The Administrator of the United Nations Development Programe (UNDP), the Rt Hon Helen Clark, was guest speaker at an evening at the Beehive last night alongside the Executive Director of UNAIDS Michel Sidibe. When questioned about the record level of new HIV infections among MSM in New Zealand in 2010, and the high incidence of HIV infection among Auckland MSM in particular, Ms Clark’s response was to call for a return to the days of grassroots driven campaigns, supported by government and national health organisations. “This must be a community response,” she said. “It’s no use government and health authorities imposing campaigns from the top down, they must support the grassroots organisations, the people at the coalface, to mount a new response.” Michel Sidebe praised New Zealand’s world leading response to HIV AIDS in the early days of the epidemic. He said that homosexual law reform, decriminalisation of sex work, and the needle exchange system were revolutionary, and a huge part of this country’s enviable record in combating HIV infection and supporting those with AIDS. However, Ms Clark warned that the benefits of that early work were in peril, largely from complacency. “In developed nations like New Zealand, complacency is one of the biggest vectors of HIV infection,” she said. “Also I think the very success of anti-retroviral drugs mean people think that HIV is no longer so dangerous.” But Ms Clark said taking pills was not a good option. “Prevention is still by far the best cure for HIV” she said.”