Mon 21 Mar 2016 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
The country's largest HIV-positive peoples peer support and advocacy organisation has three months to re-open its Wellington operation if it is to receive a donation of $5,000. The donation, offered at yesterday's AGM by an Auckland-based member, is contingent on the Body Positive Wellington office being promptly re-opened in some form after it was hurriedly shut down late last year. It was confirmed at yesterday's AGM that BP is still paying $2,000 per month on its Courtenay Place office space despite closing down its activities there in a cost-saving measure. Although the organisation's finances are currently healthy, according to the chair of the interim board, elected when the previous board resigned en-masse in December, there is no, or very little, money available to fund staff and other expenses. Those attending the AGM, thirty members out of a total membership exceeding 800, expressed a majority wish for the Wellington operation to re-commence, albeit in a scaled-back form and likely relying on volunteer input. The meeting was told that in the two years it operated the Wellington-based membership had swelled from "around 20 to around 100." The Wellington-based board members have been asked to bring recommendations to the incoming board's first meeting, due to be held in a month's time. The new board, all men, includes six members from Auckland, two from Wellington, two from the Waikato and one from the South Island. Outgoing interim board chair Bruce Kilmister and Executive Director Mark Fisher both signaled that Body Positive would be less able to rely on drug-company funding for operations in the future as the appearance of cheaper generic HIV medications and lapsing patents meant the companies were less willing to provide funding assistance. "We need more reliable funding and that means the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Development," Kilmister said. Currently the government funds the NZ AIDS Foundation to the tune of $4.5 million dollars per year but body positive receives just $150,000pa.