Candlelight Memorials in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Invercargill will bring together communities hit hard by HIV and AIDS on Sunday 17 May. New Zealand had its highest-ever rate of new HIV infections last year, and despite modern treatments, HIV and AIDS remains a major health issue. Gay and bisexual men continue to be the highest risk group for HIV infection. Auckland Candlelight event organiser Wayne Otter says members of the Gay And Lesbian Singers group are among the performers planned for this year's Memorial, which will also include HIV+ speakers and a Maori cultural perspective. LGBT communities in Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Invercargill are also expected to have a strong presence at their Candlelight Memorials on the same night, but no official Memorials are planned this year in Tauranga and Dunedin, unlike in previous years recently. The international Candlelight Memorial is one of the oldest and largest worldwide events focused on HIV/AIDS awareness and advocacy. The theme for this year is Together, We Are the Solution, representing the challenges that remain and the unwavering belief that a solution is possible, say the international Candlelight organisers at the Global Health Council. "The role of civil society is critical to ending HIV and IADS, but we cannot work alone and hope is not enough. We need action, and communities and governments must work together." Five candlelight Memorial services will be held around New Zealand on Sunday 17th May 2008: Auckland – 6pm at St Matthew-in-the-City Hamilton – 6:30pm at the Celebrating Age Centre Wellington – 6.30pm at St Andrew's on the Terrace Christchurch – 7pm at the Art Centre Great Hall Invercargill – 6pm at Bluff Hill.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Monday, 4th May 2009 - 3:55pm