Burnett Foundation Aotearoa has expressed solidarity with Fiji as the country responds to a significant rise in Fiji HIV cases. The organisation says HIV is preventable and treatable, but Fiji is still facing a sharp increase that demands faster access to care.
Liz Gibb said the response is strongest when it is informed by evidence and led in partnership with communities. She added: "The international experience is clear: investing in prevention, reducing stigma, expanding access to testing and treatment, and supporting community-led responses saves lives and reduces transmission."
Burnett Foundation Aotearoa and Fiji
Burnett Foundation Aotearoa said the most effective HIV responses are grounded in science, human rights, and communities. It said countries that have reduced transmission have used widespread access to testing, the latest treatments, prevention services, harm reduction programmes such as needle exchanges, and stigma-free healthcare.
The organisation also encouraged approaches that place people at the centre of care. It said people most affected by HIV should be able to access services and support without fear, discrimination or judgment, which is the practical line between a system that reaches people early and one that leaves them to present late.
Effective HIV and communities
The message lands in a region where cooperation matters. Burnett Foundation Aotearoa said it is committed to sharing knowledge, supporting best practice approaches, and standing alongside Pacific partners, and it urged the New Zealand government, international health agencies, community organisations and development partners across the Pacific region to support Fiji's response.
That is a direct appeal for people, services and policy to move together rather than separately. The group said decisions should be guided by the best available public health evidence, not by fear or judgment, because HIV control depends on whether testing, treatment, prevention and community-led support reach the people who need them.
Fiji HIV response next
The immediate unresolved issue is scale: how large Fiji's HIV increase is, and what specific factors are driving it. Burnett Foundation Aotearoa's position is clear even without those numbers — expand prevention, reduce stigma, widen access to treatment and testing, and let communities help lead the response. For people in Fiji who need HIV services, that points toward a response built around access, dignity and speed rather than delay.
