What's SPOTS all about?

Info provided in the SPOTS survey will help:

• Prevent HIV and STI transmission

• Improve Aotearoa's blood donation policy for men who have sex with men

• Reduce undiagnosed HIV, hepatitis C and syphilis in our community

This study is about sex between men, HIV prevention and blood donation in Aotearoa New Zealand, led by the University of Auckland and University of Otago in partnership with community organisations and the HIV sector. We previously ran this study in 2014, now we want to see what’s changed. 

A major focus of the 2022 survey is understanding how we can improve blood donation policy for men who have sex with men (MSM), who are currently excluded. We also need to update our understanding of how MSM reduce their HIV risks. This includes condoms and testing, but also new tools like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), HIV treatments and undetectable HIV viral load (U=U). 

Taking part is easy. Complete your survey here. You can also provide a dried blood spot - we'll send you a kit and instructions.

We want to hear from all kinds of men who have sex with men (MSM), regardless if you identify as gay, bisexual, takatāpui tāne, pansexual, queer, straight, cis, trans or other identities. We’re also keen to hear from trans women and non-binary or gender diverse people who have sex with MSM.

Participants can be of any HIV status, ethnicity, region, relationship status, out/not out, new to the scene or long-time members of the community. We want to hear from everyone so your voices can inform future decisions about our community’s health and inclusion!