NEW ZEALAND: Mate Aaraikore A Muri Ake Nei: Experiences of Maori New Zealanders Living with HIV

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

NEW ZEALAND: Mate Aaraikore A Muri Ake Nei: Experiences of Maori New Zealanders Living with HIV

Sexual Health (09.04) Vol. 1; No. 3; P.175-180 - Monday, December 20, 2004
Jeffrey Grierson; Marian Pitts; Te Herekiekie Herewini; Geoff Rua'ine; Anthony J. Hughes; Peter J.W. Saxton; Matt Whyte; Sebastian Misson; Mark Thomas

A total of 226 HIV-positive men and women completed the anonymous "HIV Futures New Zealand Survey" across the country. Of those, 25 respondents were Maori, of whom 17 were male, 7 were female and 1 was transgender. Maori respondents ranged in age from 21 to 52 with average age 36.4. Of Maori respondents, 13 identified as takataapui (male homosexuals); six were heterosexual women; two were bisexual men; one was a lesbian and three others did not give their sexuality. The researchers found few differences in the demographic profile of Maori and non-Maori respondents, although Maori respondents were somewhat younger and more likely to be male.

"The purpose of this paper is to review the experiences of Maori living with HIV in New Zealand, rather than identify inequalities in HIV prevalence, health care, social support or discrimination compared to non-Maori," the investigators wrote. "As this is the first time that data on the experience of Maori living with HIV have been available, it will provide a baseline against which developments in the New Zealand HIV epidemic can be measured."

Seven respondents of the 25 said they had received pre-test counseling, and four of those were satisfied with the information and support they had received. Eighteen respondents of the 25 had received post-test counseling. A majority of those were satisfied with the information and support they had received. The authors said those findings are consistent with experiences of other HIV-positive New Zealanders, for whom pre-test counseling has not been consistently provided.

Two-thirds of the Maori respondents were currently on antiretroviral treatments, the researchers noted, and half had taken a break from them. The most commonly cited source of social support was respondents' doctors. All participants had disclosed their HIV status to someone, and fifteen reported unwanted disclosure.

Nearly a third of the 25 respondents reported accommodation discrimination due to their HIV status at some stage, the investigators found; for four, the discrimination had occurred within the last 2 years. Nine reported discrimination in a medical setting, five within the last 2 years. "Discrimination most commonly took the form of avoidance, additional infection control or confidentiality problems," according to the study. "Seven out of 22 respondents reported that they had received less favorable treatment in relation to employment due to their HIV status, four in the last 2 years. When asked about discrimination in the area of insurance, seven out of 19 respondents felt that they had received less favorable treatment due to their HIV status."

The authors noted that although Maori have risk factors - higher prevalence of STDs, needle sharing, incarceration and lower socioeconomic status - generally associated with HIV infection, surveillance figures do not show Maori with higher levels of HIV diagnoses than non-Maori New Zealanders. They found "little evidence of the severe disadvantage experienced by other indigenous populations around the world."

The researchers suggest that early, culturally appropriate and self-determined intervention may have helped limit infections within the Maori gay male population, and community responsiveness might have reduced the disadvantage one would have expected given other social and health factors.

"Maori people in New Zealand have access to a comprehensive health care system, nonetheless it is of concern that a number report discrimination and unwanted disclosure of their HIV status, most particularly within health care settings," the authors concluded.
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