Burnett Foundation Aotearoa is calling on every political party to commit to ending locally acquired HIV transmissions in New Zealand by 2030, arguing the goal is within reach but will require sustained political action.
The Foundation, formerly known as the New Zealand AIDS Foundation, has distributed its new Roadmap to Zero to political candidates, outlining measures it says are needed to eliminate local HIV transmission by the end of the decade.
“With numbers tracking downwards in recent years, we have a real shot at becoming the first country to eliminate local transmissions, but it won’t happen without the support of whoever forms the next government,” Burnett Foundation Aotearoa chief executive Liz Gibbs says.
The call comes as locally acquired HIV diagnoses have declined substantially from their mid-2010s peak. Burnett Foundation says maintaining that progress will depend on continued investment in prevention, testing, treatment and programmes addressing stigma and inequity.
“Better medicine funding, increased testing, reducing stigma and racial inequities are all necessary for us to eliminate local transmissions,” Gibbs says.
Four priorities for getting to zero
Burnett Foundation’s roadmap identifies four major areas requiring action: improving access to HIV prevention and treatment, increasing HIV testing, addressing inequities experienced by Māori, and tackling the stigma that continues to surround HIV.
The organisation argues that New Zealand already has many of the tools required to dramatically reduce HIV transmission, including PrEP — medication taken to prevent HIV — alongside condoms, regular testing and effective antiretroviral treatment.
People living with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load through effective treatment cannot sexually transmit HIV, a principle commonly known as U=U, or Undetectable = Untransmittable.
Burnett Foundation says political continuity has been essential to the progress made so far.
“The progress we’ve made in reducing local transmissions was only possible because of the continuity in support from successive governments,” Gibbs says. “And it’s only through this spirit that we can get to zero.”
New Zealand’s existing National HIV Action Plan has a target of reducing locally acquired HIV infections by 90 per cent from the 2010 baseline by 2030, alongside improving the lives of people living with HIV and reducing stigma and discrimination. Burnett Foundation is now pushing political parties to go further and commit to zero local transmissions.
Almost half of diagnoses occurring late
Late diagnosis remains one of the major challenges.
Data for 2025 recorded 80 people diagnosed with HIV in Aotearoa New Zealand. Burnett Foundation says almost half of diagnoses were classified as late, meaning people may have been living with HIV for several years before being diagnosed.
Late diagnosis can mean a person misses the opportunity to begin treatment earlier, while an undiagnosed person can also unknowingly pass HIV to others.
Burnett Foundation is therefore calling for greater access to testing and stronger efforts to reach communities that may face barriers to healthcare.
“Earlier diagnosis, better access to treatment and wider uptake of prevention tools reduce lifelong health costs and prevent future infections,” the Foundation says.
Māori representation remains a major concern
The 2025 figures also highlight significant inequities for Māori.
Burnett Foundation says one in three gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men diagnosed with HIV in 2025 were Māori, despite Māori representing a considerably smaller share of the overall population.
The Foundation says eliminating HIV therefore cannot be achieved through a one-size-fits-all response.
“Future progress depends on solutions designed by, with and for Māori communities,” Gibbs says.
That means ensuring HIV prevention, testing and treatment services are culturally appropriate and accessible to Māori, including takatāpui communities.
Calls for faster access to modern HIV medicines
The roadmap also argues New Zealand needs faster access to newer HIV medicines already available in some overseas markets.
Among those highlighted is Cabenuva, a long-acting injectable HIV treatment that can reduce the need for daily tablets for eligible people.
As of late 2025, Pharmac said no long-acting injectable HIV medicine was registered with Medsafe, and it had not received a funding application for one. Pharmac did, however, make all funded HIV medicines eligible for three-month dispensing from 1 March 2026, reducing the need for monthly pharmacy visits.
Burnett Foundation argues access to newer treatment and prevention options should form part of the next stage of New Zealand’s HIV response.
Stigma still stops people seeking care
Alongside medicine and testing, the Foundation says reducing HIV stigma remains critical.
Despite major advances in treatment, misconceptions about HIV continue to affect people living with the virus and can discourage others from getting tested or accessing prevention.
“Too many New Zealanders still hold outdated beliefs about HIV,” Gibbs says.
“Stigma discourages people from getting tested, accessing prevention tools and seeking care. If we want to reach zero transmissions, we need to ensure people feel safe, supported and informed.”
For Aotearoa’s rainbow and takatāpui communities, the issue has particular significance. Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men continue to be disproportionately represented among new HIV diagnoses, making accessible, stigma-free sexual healthcare an important part of wider LGBTQ+ health equity. In 2025, male-to-male sexual contact accounted for 60 per cent of new diagnoses.
Burnett Foundation says the next government has an opportunity to build on decades of progress rather than allowing it to stall.
“Aotearoa has a genuine opportunity to achieve something that would be internationally significant,” Gibbs says.
“Zero local HIV transmissions by 2030 is within reach. Now we need political leaders to help us get there.”
