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After it’s lunch in August at the Sexual Health Conference, our HIV and Syphilis Rapid testing Training Programme is starting to take off.
The programme is designed to strengthen health equity and improve access to testing, especially for communities who often face cultural, geographic, or systemic barriers.
This bespoke training module equips community members and health workers with the knowledge, hands-on skills, and cultural confidence needed to deliver rapid HIV and Syphilis testing safely and effectively, ensuring testing happens with communities, not to them.
Our inaugural day training took place in Tāmaki Makaurau in November 5 with an inspiring group of participants representing a wide range of community organisations and backgrounds. The energy, enthusiasm, and commitment in the room set a strong foundation for the testing programme’s future impact.
Over the two days, participants engaged in practical, hands-on training, learned how to safely administer tests, explored supportive ways of discussing sexual health, and practised responding to different testing scenarios with empathy and cultural awareness.
Feedback from the training has been overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing the need for community-driven testing and the importance of building local capability.
One participant shared:
“This training is so important. I’m part of the Latin LGBTQ+ community, and this course will really help us start testing in our community and raise awareness about the importance of getting tested.”
Another participant reflected on the confidence-building aspect:
“It has been six years since I last practised testing. I feel so much more confident now.”
Participants also spoke to the value of connecting across cultures and communities, and their excitement about taking knowledge back to their organisations and networks.
HIV and syphilis continue to affect communities unevenly in Aotearoa. Many people face barriers such as stigma, lack of culturally safe services, transportation challenges, or limited access to traditional healthcare settings. By placing testing capability directly into the hands of trusted community leaders and health workers, we are reducing these barriers and helping people test in places that feel familiar, safe, and empowering.
The Train-the-Trainer model also ensures knowledge spreads sustainably. As more trainers complete the programme, more organisations will be able to offer rapid testing, increasing early diagnosis, reducing transmission, and strengthening sexual health outcomes nationwide.
We will continue to roll out training across Aotearoa, working alongside communities who are best positioned to support their own people. Information about upcoming trainings and the testing modules will be made available on
We extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who participated in the first training, to our community partners for their leadership, and to the trainers and facilitators who helped bring this initiative to life.
Together, we are strengthening community capability, increasing access to testing, and helping build a healthier, more empowered Aotearoa for all.
