Sat 17 Apr 2010 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Opposition is emerging to the NZ AIDS Foundation's continuing control of the national HIV positive people's publication Collective Thinking, with one HIV advocacy group accusing the NZAF of using the magazine to present doctored information. The Foundation has just begun a public tendering process aimed at replacing the quarterly magazine with what it calls a "Website for Positive People Development," describes as "part of an exciting, positive and tech-savvy development in the commitment that the NZAF has to people affected by HIV" and provisionally titles CTonline. It has also invited "ten organisations and individuals" to tender proposals but has not identified them. The terms of reference for the tender have been posted within the Foundation's website and will be drawn to the attention of the organisation's membership in the next NZAF newsletter. They make it clear that a variety of NZAF staff will contribute to the site and state that the NZAF should be able to "update and control the website." Bruce Kilmister HIV people's peer support organisation Body Positive Auckland, which was invited to tender, says Collective Thinking should go back to being an independent voice "of, by and for people with HIV" and not remain under the influence of the NZAF. "In recent years it has devolved into a complete spin document for the NZAF," says Body Positive chief executive Bruce Kilmister. "It highlights the NZAF's agenda to the detriment of other organisations and views." Kilmister says the NZAF has on a number of occasions deleted information before publication which should have been included. "For example, when Body Positive created the first HIV Treatment Seminar, bringing together HIV positive people, senior NZ physicians and even overseas experts, a two page article on the seminar was prepared and was subsequently edited down specifically removing all references to us as the originators and organisers." The NZAF also appears to have airbrushed out of Collective Thinking last year's national controversy surrounding the rogue 'HIV predator' Glen Mills with its myriad ethical, legal, sexual and social implications for people living with HIV. Kilmister says Body Positive has been a close observer of the publication since its inception "and we have been requesting for ten years that the NZAF hand it back to the HIV positive community, to a body totally independent of the NZAF." Body Positive will not be tendering for the project "because what they want is not appropriate for Collective Thinking," and "we would feel very uncomfortable having our input answerable to the NZAF." Christchurch-based HIV people's advocate Ray Taylor, who has been highly active in HIV matters since the virus first became apparent in New Zealand 25 years ago, echoes Body Positive's stance. "It makes no sense for the NZAF to retain any control of Collective Thinking, although I do like the online idea as this would provide a much needed avenue of contact for positive people in remote areas of NZ," he says. Collective Thinking was launched in the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic to help HIV positive people pool information and share experiences. It was created by HIV positive gay men and was initially based in Wellington, described as "The newsletter of the National People Living With AIDS Union - NZ." From its earliest days it received funding support from the Ministry of Health. However, as the numbers of people living with HIV able to work on it dwindled the publication found itself in recent years absorbed into the AIDS Foundation with funding provided to the NZAF by the Ministry. The AIDS Foundation was invited to comment on some of the earliest issues to arise regarding Collective Thinking and the tendering process. It has advised it will respond at some unspecified future date.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 17th April 2010 - 10:23pm