NAU MAI
Rukua ki te rētōtanga o te wai
stemming the tide of HIV inequity in Aotearoa
(PrEP research project)
We want to understand what helps Māori stay safe, access prevention, and receive the care they deserve. Your voice can help improve HIV prevention and health services for our communities.
We welcome participants who are:
You do not need to disclose your HIV status to participate.
This is a safe, respectful space. No judgement, no stigma.
Since the 1980s, a lot of effort has gone into improving sexual health care and preventing HIV. Today, we have effective medicines that can stop HIV from being passed on. Even so, not everyone finds it easy to access sexual healthcare or HIV prevention.
With Aotearoa aiming to eliminate HIV transmission by 2032, it’s important that sexual health care and prevention options work well for Māori. This project brings together Māori to share their lived experiences of sexual health care, HIV services, and access to prevention. What is shared will be returned to participants first, before being woven into insights for health providers, advocates, and supporters, so that services can grow in ways that are more responsive and culturally grounded.
This project aims to hear from more people across Aotearoa and make space for a wide range of voices. It uses a kaupapa Māori approach, which means the research is guided by Māori values, knowledge, and ways of working, with a strong focus on care, respect, and community involvement. The project is grounded in Whakauae values and is focused on creating positive, long-lasting change that supports Māori wellbeing now and into the future.
The project will happen in three main stages. First, we’ll sit with people and listen through interviews to understand their experiences. Next, we’ll work together to reflect on and make sense of what we hear. Finally, we’ll use this knowledge to develop a culturally meaningful HIV prevention approach for Māori.
We’re working alongside sexual health providers and advocates, who support and guide this research. These relationships ensure that what we learn from the research doesn’t just sit on a page, but is shared and used in clinics, community health services, and public health messaging.
We want this research to make a difference in real time, not years down the track. Working closely with health providers helps us do that. It also means the research is shaped not just by researchers, but by community organisations and healthcare professionals who work directly with people every day.
This research is being undertaken by Whakauae Research Services Ltd, an Iwi-owned health research centre. Our team brings together Māori researchers from diverse Iwi and lived experience all united in this kaupapa and grounded in strong Māori health research experience.
Associate Professor Clive Aspin (Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Tamaterā) - Study co-lead
Dr Tanya Allport (Te Ati Awa) - study co-lead
Dr Amohia Boulton (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi te Rangi, Ngāti Pukenga, Te Ati Awa), Director of Whakauae - Resesarcher
Hector Kaiwai (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Maniapoto, Tūhoe), Director of Wai Rangahau – Researcher
Aneta Cram (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pahauwera) – Researcher
Ben Barton (Te Arawa) - Researcher
Tom Johnson (Ngāti Hauiti, Te Ati Haunui-a-Pāpārangi) – Design lead
Johnson, T., Oliphant, J. (2025)
Investigating Barriers and Enablers to Preventive HIV Access for Māori - Poster
Whakauae Research Services Limited
Concentration: HIV Prevention
Allport, T., Boulton, A., Barton, B. (2025).
Investigating Barriers and Enablers to Preventive HIV Access for Māori - Booklet
Whakauae Research Services Limited
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Guiding the Next Phase of HIV Prevention Research in Aotearoa
Whakauae Research Services Ltd
Aspin, C. (2025).
Addressing the disproportionate impact of HIV on Māori: Co-investigator in the Whakauae research project, Rukua ki te rēkōtanga o te wai [Radio interview].
Waatea News.
Whakauae Research project to help stem the tide of HIV inequity
Whakauae Research Services Ltd
