Beacons of Hope Walk Tour

Join us on Sunday 1 June 2025 for a special event marking the 40th anniversary of the death of Bruce Burnett – one of Aotearoa’s pioneering HIV activists and educators.

Bruce was instrumental in co-founding the AIDS Support Network in the early 1980s, which would become the New Zealand AIDS Foundation – renamed the Burnett Foundation Aotearoa in 2022.

Walk Tours NZ, in association with the Foundation, is hosting a very special walk tour to commemorate Bruce’s passing on 1 June 1985. Starting outside the Āwhina Centre on Willis Street, we’ll walk through central Wellington, stopping at various locations to pay tribute to some of this country’s HIV pioneers.

Learn about personal and collective responses to the epidemic, and hear short archival recordings from those who experienced the early years first-hand.

As part of the walk tour, we’ll return to the Āwhina Centre for some light refreshments. The Burnett Foundation team will talk about the current state of HIV in Aotearoa and show two panels from the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt.

Accessibility information: the tour is on flat public footpaths. Tours are limited to approximately 25 walkers.

The walk tour is completely free, but please consider registering on the WalkToursNZ website so we can manage the size of the walking group.