71662 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Associate Minister of Health

71662 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Associate Minister of Health: What progress, if any, has been made inimplementing the goal ‘increase equity in relation to all sexually transmitted blood borne infections goals and objectives’ as part of the Aotearoa New Zealand Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infection Strategy 2023-2030?

Hon Casey Costello: I am advised the following activities contribute towards increasing equity in relation to all sexually transmitted blood borne infections goals and objectives: • Community-based HIV service providers, including a Kaupapa Māori HIV service, have been funded to scale up peer and community-led programmes and resources that focus on connecting and empowering people living with HIV. This includes connecting with Māori providers, refugee migrant and asylum seeker groups. • Community-based HIV providers have also been funded to scale up innovative testing for HIV and other STIs and provide more workforce training to conduct testing. This is resulting in more Māori, Pacific, and Asian people getting tested. • Access to hepatitis C testing and treatment has increased through regionally led services. This includes more nurse led clinics and peer-led point-of-care testing delivered in community settings including Māori health services. • There has been continued work with Hauora Māori Services to ensure the approach with Māori who inject drugs and access Needle Exchange Services is culturally appropriate. • The Northern region, in collaboration with The Village Collective and Te Kaha, is developing a social marketing campaign to encourage testing for syphilis in young women.