Steve Attwood With the alarming jump in new HIV infections in New Zealand, the writing was on the wall for the AIDS Foundation – time to revamp the safe sex message and pump up the volume. With that in mind, a new full-time position was created in early March of "communications coordinator", someone whose job it would be to focus, among other things, on strengthening the Foundation's relationship with mainstream media. The Foundation has found someone to fill the position from within its own ranks – Canterbury-based Steve Attwood has been working for the NZAF for nearly five years now as a health promoter, and has an extensive background in media and public relations. When he came out, he says he began a phase he's never quite grown out of, feeling a need to do something for his community. "I'd always tried to do jobs where I felt I could make a difference," he says. "I previously worked for the Department of Conservation, Trade Aid, and spent 20 years before that working as a journalist in mainstream media." Attwood says he became disillusioned with the news industry, with increasing workloads leaving less time for quality journalism. “Very few journalists were being given decent amounts of time to write good in-depth stories. I went from being given 2-3 weeks to work on one feature to writing four or five features in one week." Being aware of the pressures that journalists in mainstream media are under, will this shape part of the NZAF's new media strategy? "My job as the communications person for the Foundation will be to try and make sure that we work really well with all media and get our message across, and there are lots of ways are doing that,” he says. “I see one of my main roles will be to develop relationships with media organisations, because that's the best way to keep journalists up to date with what you're doing – actually have a professional relationship with them, not just be this anonymous bloke that pushes the press release button on the fax machine." The AIDS Foundation has often been accused of being out of touch with its community and public in the past. Has this perhaps been a weak link of late? Too many anonymous blokes sending out the odd press release and not keeping in touch with the grass roots? "I think there has been various people involved in some way with communication [in the past], but there hasn't been anyone concentrating on it for some time, and as a result of that my first job will be to actually consult with community and staff and create a communications strategy before I can start working to it." On a day-to-day basis, Attwood sees that there are two categories of communications to be dealt with, external and internal, the latter being an area that can be easily overlooked. "In many ways the priority is actually internal communications, keeping staff up to date with what other staff are doing, celebrating our success stories. We have actually got a very professional organisation that does what it does very well, and there is a tendency in New Zealand to always knock the locals. I think it's important that staff have a consistent view of what we stand for, what our policies on each issue are, what are the key messages we're trying to get out, so there's good internal communication and consistency." External communications doesn't stop at media outlets. "It's relationships," says Attwood, "with other key health groups, and community organisations including queer community organisations and I'll also have an oversight on publications, and that's about making sure that publications come up to the sort of professional standard that we've come to expect from the AIDS Foundation." Have these professional standards been lacking? "In actual fact, most of the resources that come out of the Foundation have been extraordinarily good, frequently copied overseas, especially the health promotion resources from the Gay Men's health team and takataapui team, they have been internationally recognised and innovative and well targeted," he says. “But there are lots of other things coming through, there's internal/external newsletters, and looking at ways of how we communicate things to allied health groups." While Attwood may feel a need to be diplomatic, it seems obvious that the communications position was created because it was an area in which the AIDS Foundation was not coming up to scratch. We're in the midst of a second wave of HIV infections, with more people in New Zealand living with the virus than at any time previously. We are constantly being told by everyone, including the Foundation, that the message isn't getting through. "I think you have to realise first that although the Foundation has done a very good job and we have one of the lowest rates of HIV per head of population of any country in the world... this increase is not a New Zealand phenomenon, it is a global one and we're not immune from global influences." The nature of the epidemic isn't becoming any easier to grapple with either, he says. "The epidemic itself is becoming enormously complex, maybe particularly in New Zealand where its still predominantly an infection among gay, bisexual and MSM you can say that complacency has possibly crept in, but it's a lot more than that. One of the reasons that our research department is enormously important is because there's just barrel-loads of information coming in all the time, and the best way we can be responsive is to be really well informed and to do the research." If it's becoming that complicated, how does Attwood hope to distill this message for the masses, particularly in mainstream media for whom HIV has not been a priority since portraying small children with AIDS in “brave little battler" poses lost its novelty value? He says he has been told that increasing the profile of the Foundation's message in mainstream media is a major priority. "It's an issue for all New Zealanders. While the epidemic is predominantly among MSM its not wholly there, and also because we can't rely on all MSM having access to queer media. There's lots of reasons why they may not or may choose not to, so it's really important that our messages are in as broad a range of publications as possible. "There has been a tendency, probably because of the success of HIV medications, for HIV/AIDS to become invisible in western countries, particularly in countries like New Zealand, so mainstream media tend to think of HIV as an issue that's happening somewhere else. One of my jobs will be to support the campaigns we'll be doing, and I'll be looking for ways I can measure that success. Hopefully in a year's time I'll be able to say there's been an x percent increase in the way media has been covering HIV issues in New Zealand. If I can achieve that that'll be really great." Building and maintaining key relationships with media and allied health groups is a big job, and the Foundation must be commended for recognising that this is something that requires full-time attention. But what about location? Attwood will continue to be based in Christchurch, and with most of the key players in health and government, not to mention population, being in the North Island, does Attwood run the risk being that anonymous bloke behind the fax machine? "No. Obviously while there are advantages of being based in the HQ of an organisation, I think the disadvantages of being in Christchurch are overcome by good communications and good strategy. Feedback from the South Island communities is that it's really good to see that the Foundation is prepared to put a national position in one of its branches rather than head office. "In the finish we're talking about press releases and media relationships, 90% of that is done through email, phone and fax, and it doesn't really matter where that's emanating from. I'm sure there'll be periods where I'm getting around the country talking to people also. Rachael LeMesurier will be doing the same thing as Executive Director, it's her job to get around the country and have face to face contact with key supporters, it's more than likely we will be probably combining those trips. But a lot of that is still to be worked out." Also, Attwood feels that he's staying more in touch with the community by continuing to be based in Christchurch. "There are advantages in coming from being out there for the last 4 years as a health promoter, and being an active part of the MSM communities. That brings a tremendous advantage to what I do, it helps keep reminding me who our customers are and who I need to be writing for." The next focus will be a campaign focus on the realities of living with HIV, due out in a few weeks. The just-released HIV infection figures from the AIDS Epidemiology Group show a continuing increase in rates of infection amongst gay men. But does anyone care? The creation of Attwood's position could not have come at a better time. Chris Banks - 29th June 2004