Have you heard of kaupapa Māori methodologies? Kaupapa Māori is about thinking critically, including developing a critique of Pākehā (non-Māori) constructions and definitions of Māori and affirming the importance of Māori self-definitions and self-valuations (definition from katoa.net.nz).

We are absolutely stoked to introduce this week’s Q&A with Annah (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungungu), a registered nurse prescriber working in Flaxmere, Hawkes Bay Regional Prison, and Hastings Health Centre Urgent Care. Tēnā koe Annah - thank you for your mahi!

There are many examples of diverse Māori sexualities and expressions in pre colonial Aotearoa. Professor Ngahuia Te Awekotuku says graphic descriptions of “sexual joy” exist in waiata koroua and mōteatea which are still performed today, including explicit references to non-heterosexual sexual relations. In one lament a young man called Papaka Te Naeroa is described as, “Ko te tama iti aitia e tērā wahine e tērā tangata” (A youth who was sexual with that woman, with that man).

*Repost - spelling errors* Today on the Q&A series we are joined by the amazing Laura Gemmell, PhD candidate at the University of Otago and tauira in Māori health. We absolutely couldn’t have found a better person to interview! Tēnā koe Laura for your kōrero and incredible mahi 💛

An opportunity to contribute to some amazing mahi in the mātauranga Māori / sexual health space ❤️

Tēnā koe to the amazing Laura Gemmell for allowing us to ask many pātai about sexual health and her mahi!

I was incredibly stoked to meet Faye a couple of weeks ago at run club. I had been looking for a pelvic health physiotherapist to interview and I don’t think we could have found someone better… Thank you Faye for answering my pātai about what a consultation with a pelvic health physio entails, whether tāne can come see you, and suggestions for resources 💛 Hope to catch you soon for a run along the beach!

Thank you to the amazing Faye for being interviewed this week for the Q&A series! We ❤️ pelvic health physios!!!

*GIVEAWAY WITH ALTITUDE POLE & ANTIPODES* SO excited to announce this giveaway with the awesome Altitude Pole, for a one month membership (two classes per week), to any of the participating studios 🫢 Enter to win this awesome prize pack worth over $300 🫶 1. ✔️ Tag the friend you would be most likely to take to a pole dancing class 2. 💬 Make sure you’re following @justthefactsnz and @altitudepolenz 3. 📣 Share for an extra entry T&C’s: Competition closes Friday the 30th of August. Winner will be contacted by Instagram dm. Giveaway only open to people based in Aotearoa New Zealand. (Giveaway not endorsed, sponsored, or associated with Instagram or Facebook).

This summarises our mahi at STIEF beautifully - combatting stigma through education. Thank you Katie for your time and words 💛

We’ve asked Katie some pātai (questions) about her mahi, her ongoing studies, and her teaching of medical students. If you have any additional pātai, feel free to ask them in the comments or send us a message 🚀

Today we are interviewing our awesome clinical lead at STIEF, Katie. Katie is a nurse practitioner in Tāmaki Makaurau committed to clinical excellence and lifelong learning. We are so lucky to have her on our team!

Our digital communications assistant, Emelia, on what she would have done if she didn’t study medicine! Leave a comment for us if you’ve considered a career change or taken the plunge 🧊

Emelia’s favourite place in the motu and in the world! 😍 Could Aotearoa get any more beautiful!?

Last week we interviewed one of our digital communication assistants… now we’re interviewing the other! We’re chatting to Emelia about her passion for sexual health promotion, women’s health, and te reo Māori 💛

Today we asked Jackie, one of our digital communication assistants, some pātai about why she joined the Just the Facts team and what she enjoys about the role! If you’d be interested in collabing or working with us in the future, feel free to send us a message. Our inbox is always open 🫢😌

Jackie is one of the two digital communication assistants for Just the Facts. Here’s her vision for the future of JTF 💫✨

Today one of your page admins (Jackie) is answering pātai for our Q&A series! If you want any more fun facts, fire them off below 🚀

One of the pātai from our Q&A with the awesome Elina - we’re looking to get our hands on Otherhood very soon. We’d love to hear your thoughts or suggestions in the comments below 🫶

Elina, along with co-founder Steven, founded ‘Storyo’ in 2019 - a platform to the share the fascinating and diverse journeys of inspiring people around the motu; social workers, local artists, sex workers, teachers, and more… Since their first interview, Storyo has spoke with over 200 folks and even won the Impact Awards Inclusion Category for 2023! Elina is an incredible advocate for representation and equity, and an awesome person to work with and learn from. Any additional pātai? Fire them off below 👇🚀

One of the pātai from our Q&A with the awesome Elina from Storyo! We co-ran a ‘Sexy Sunday’ event with Elina earlier this year, and couldn’t have done it with a better person 💫 Have you checked out the sex series yet?!

Imogen Stone is the Acting Programme Lead at “Dear Em”, and has been a part of the team since January 2021. Imogen is passionate about women’s health and politics - issues close to our hearts. Tēnā koe Imogen for chatting to us and for all the amazing mahi you do & coordinate!

This week we are shining the spotlight on “Dear Em,” an amazing organisation that advocates for women who have faced injustice in the sexual violence realm. “Em is a place for young women to have a voice; to find ways to be stronger & more confident in managing stressful situations of all kinds; to recognise sexual harm; and, to learn to support one another.” A big mihi from the JTF girls for this kaupapa ❤️

This week on our Q&A series we are talking to the amazing organisation “Dear Em”. Sanskruti is a Dear Em embassador who has been with the organisation for the last two years. Her passions include human rights and international diplomacy - check out the recently launched Jhumka journey to see more of her awesome mahi ❤️

Big mihi to Olivia Hall, our Executive Director, for subjecting herself to our questions! Liv has an impressive list of passions and achievements, and we are so lucky to have her on board at STIEF with the excitement and energy she brings ✨ If you have any further pātai for her, fire them below 👇🚀

Our Executive Director, Olivia Hall, next up on the Q&A series!

Our Executive Director, Olivia Hall, is next up on our Q&A series… She was raised in Tāmaki Makarau, studied in Pōneke and Ōtepoti, and lived in London! We hope you enjoy some insights into our awesome boss and her journey into this role 💛

A question from our Q&A with Beth! 💃🕺👯‍♀️

One of the questions from our Q&A series with Beth - we’d love to hear if any of you have suggestions for similarly awesome accounts to follow!

To start us off… a Q&A with the amazing Beth!!!! If you’ve been following the page for a while you’ll know we’re a big fan of her at JTF. Beth is a qualified s3x educator, a Pilates and yoga instructor, and a passionate advocate for better s3xual health and s3x education in Aotearoa! She’s also an inspirational human being. Comment below if you’d like to hear more from Beth in podcast format 🫣👇

Very excited to be launching a new series where we ask experts, educators, and regular people interesting questions about sex and sexual health! Have a suggestion of who we should talk to? Send us a private message or comment below 👇

Very excited to be launching a new series where we ask experts, educators, and regular people interesting questions about sex and sexual health! Have a suggestion of who we should talk to? Send us a private message or comment below 👇

Very excited to be launching a new series where we ask experts, educators, and regular people interesting questions about sex and sexual health! Have a suggestion of who we should talk to? Or a question you’d love to get the answer to? Send us a private message or comment below 👇

It’s almost the end of Rape Awareness Week… There’s been many informative posts about the different facets of consent — if you’ve missed the week, have a look through the hashtags #rapeawarenessweek2024 and #communityofconsent. @dearem.nz have done some amazing mahi, including some in-person events, kei te mihi ahau!

It’s almost the end of Rape Awareness Week… There’s been many informative posts about the different facets of consent — if you’ve missed the week, have a look through the hashtags #rapeawarenessweek2024 and #communityofconsent. @dearem.nz have done some amazing mahi, including some in-person events, kei te mihi ahau!

Our first ever event - a ‘Sexy Sunday’ with Storyo.co! Elina and Steven are amazing at planning and delivering safe, inclusive, FUN events, and we were so grateful to see their magic ✨ at work! Thank you to our awesome panel - Charlie, Kaan and Dr. Eva - and to the team at Seed Waikato, who were there for every moment of setting up 🍇 Sarah, thank you for closing us off with some spoken word, the best way to end a lovely evening! See you at our next event - you are all amazing ☺️ #inclusive #inclusivehealth #seggseducation #nzevents #healthandwellness

#onelessworry #hpvawarenessday #askabouthpv

It’s HPV Awareness Day!! Did you know that only ~60% of eligible rangatahi have the HPV vaccine in Aotearoa NZ? Let’s push that rate up and protect our youth - including the approximately 32,000 young people who missed out on their HPV vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. #onelessworry #hpvawarenessday #askabouthpv

We were absolutely stoked to see an awesome article in the Spinoff describing current governmental guidelines for Relationships and Sexuality Education, following the promise in NZ Firsts' coalition agreement to "refocus the curriculum on academic achievement and not ideology, including the removal and replacement of the gender, sexuality, and relationship-based education guidelines.” Personally, we think these topics are highly valuable and belong in our schools! What are your thoughts? Is there anything missing? As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

PAID OPPORTUNITY: The Sexually Transmitted Infections Education Foundation (STIEF) is seeking people who are passionate about sexual health to join our Advisory Group. 

We would love to see applications from a diverse range of people who identify with our kaupapa. Reach out to the lovely Liv (she/her) on olivia@stief.org.nz if you are interested OR tag someone below who would be an amazing addition to our team👇

PAID OPPORTUNITY: The Sexually Transmitted Infections Education Foundation (STIEF) is seeking people who are passionate about sexual health to join our Advisory Group. 

We would love to see applications from a diverse range of people who identify with our kaupapa. Reach out to the lovely Liv (she/her) on olivia@stief.org.nz if you are interested OR tag someone below who would be an amazing addition to our team👇

PAID OPPORTUNITY: The Sexually Transmitted Infections Education Foundation (STIEF) is seeking people who are passionate about sexual health to join our Advisory Group. 

We would love to see applications from a diverse range of people who identify with our kaupapa. Reach out to the lovely Liv (she/her) on olivia@stief.org.nz if you are interested OR tag someone below who would be an amazing addition to our team👇

In this post we are celebrating some awesome wahine Māori who have created art, poetry, literature and products about and for about waiwhero / ikura (the name for periods or menstruation in te reo Māori). We would like to tautoko Michella Wilson (co-founder of AWWA), Jessica Thompson (maorimermaid), and Dr Ngāhuia Murphy (the researcher and educator whose book we have drawn on for the information on our previous two posts on waiwhero/ikura). Tēnā rawa atu koe. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any recommendations or questions 💖

Thank you to a follower who inspired us to create these posts about waiwhero / ikura (the name for periods or menstruation in te reo Māori). Our content has been created using the source “Waiwhero, The Red Waters, A celebration of womanhood - He whakahirahiratanga o te ira wahine” by the amazing Dr. Ngāhuia Murphy, and translated by Sean Ellison. Thank you Dr. Murphy for your words, we hope we have done them justice here. The first photograph of Māori wahine in this post is from the NZ National Library (reference 1/2-070169-G) and is a studio portrait of three Māori woman taken by Frank J Denton in 1908. Standing in the centre is Takotoroa Marunui (nee Jury), daughter of Hoani ‘Te Whatahoro’ Jury and Keriana (nee Potae). On left is Manapouri Bristow/Bristowe (nee Jury), youngest sister to Takotoroa, daughter of Whatahoro and Keriana. On right is Te Aitu o te Rangi Wikitoria Jury (aka Susan Jury/ Sue Materoa Jury), half-sister to Takotoroa, daughter of Whatahoro and his first wife Pane. The moko of the woman on the right identifies her as Te Aitu-o-te-rangi Wikitoria Jury (daughter of Te Whatahoro Jury). The second photograph of a Māori wahine is also from the NZ National library (reference 1/1-001506-G) and is a portrait of a Maori woman wearing a kakahu (cloak) and carrying a patu, taken ca 1910 by Herman John Schmidt of Auckland. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any recommendations or questions 💖

Thank you to a follower who inspired us to create these posts about waiwhero / ikura (the name for periods or menstruation in te reo Māori). Our content has been created using the source “Waiwhero, The Red Waters, A celebration of womanhood - He whakahirahiratanga o te ira wahine” by the amazing Dr. Ngāhuia Murphy, and translated by Sean Ellison. Thank you Dr. Murphy for your words, we hope we have done them justice here. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any recommendations or questions 💖

Flip the script this Feb 14th and do it for the person who usually does it for you! Plan a surprise date. Pick them flowers. Open their door. Swap your usual chores. It doesn’t have to be fancy. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Comment below a sexist myth that you’d like to see busted👇 As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

With Valentine’s Day a week away we thought it would be a good time to remind you that familial, friendship, and self-love is just as valid as romantic love. Buy flowers for your dad! Show love to your mates! Get to know yourself better! As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

In case you missed it, cervical screening has CHANGED! Now, people with a cervix will undergo a self-swab to check for the high-risk HPV virus, before potentially moving on to a further cervical smear. Here is some information about your eligibility for an HPV test. If you have further questions, feel free to contact our STIEF helpline or speak with a healthcare professional. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there's anything you want to see discussed or if you have any questions 💖

In case you missed it, cervical screening has CHANGED! Now, people with a cervix will undergo a self-swab to check for the high-risk HPV virus, before potentially moving on to a further cervical smear. JTF sits under the STIEF umbrella, where we run a sexual health helpline. Lately, we have had LOADS of questions about what this all means, so here is some info that we hope helps! Most importantly - a positive HPV screen does NOT equal cervical cancer. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there's anything you want to see discussed or if you have any questions 💖

In case you missed it, cervical screening has CHANGED! Now, people with a cervix will undergo a self-swab to check for the high-risk HPV virus, before potentially moving on to a further cervical smear. Here is some information about how to do the HPV self-swab. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there's anything you want to see discussed or if you have any questions 💖

These are our goals for 2024, centred around the three key themes of consistency, growth and connection. Sharing these with you is a way to keep ourselves accountable, and let you know our vision for the year ahead. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there's anything you want to see discussed or if you have any questions 💖

TLDR? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! These are our goals for the year summarised As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there's anything you want to see discussed or if you have any questions 💖

Mātauranga Māori is the body of knowledge originating from Māori ancestors, including the Māori world view and perspectives, Māori creativity and cultural practices (Te Aka Māori dictionary). We are trying to incorporate more mātauranga Māori into our work this year. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there's anything you want to see discussed or if you have any questions 💖

This is a COLLAB post with the amazing @beyondthebirdsandbeesnz. If you haven’t already, check out their app which is a great resource for rangatahi / rangatahi at heart. In this post we’re discussing the “how to’s” - covering topics such as self pleasure, putting on a condom, and deciding whether you are ready to have sex for the first time. Thanks for joining us this week! Comment below if there’s anyone you’d like to see us collab with in the coming months👇

This is a COLLAB post with the amazing @beyondthebirdsandbeesnz. If you haven’t already, check out their app which is a great resource for rangatahi / rangatahi at heart. In this post we’re discussing how to kōrero about sex with a partner and set boundaries. We’ve also got some examples of healthy behaviours (green light) vs unhealthy behaviours (red light). Comment below if you’ve watched any of the shows referenced in this post 👇

This is a COLLAB post with the amazing @beyondthebirdsandbeesnz. If you haven’t already, check out their app which is a great resource for rangatahi / rangatahi at heart. In this post we’re discussing loving te ataahua tinana / your beautiful body as it is, and loving the body of your partner(s). Comment below if you were caught out by any of these myths 👇

Today we’re wrapping our STI series. Thank you to anyone that’s tuned in… we can’t wait to show you what we have in store for the next few months! ✨

Today we’re wrapping our STI series. Thank you to anyone that’s tuned in… we can’t wait to show you what we have in store for the next few months! ✨

Today we’re wrapping our STI series. Thank you to anyone that’s tuned in… we can’t wait to share with you what we have in store for the next few months! ✨

Repost! Trichomonas or "trich" is a sexually transmitted infection. Although it is usually asymptomatic, it's important to know about it because it can make it easier to be infected with other STIs. Fortunately, treatment is super easy with just one dose of antibiotics! As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there's anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Repost Bacterial vaginosis (BV) can be thought of as thrush's bacterial cousin! Where thrush is an overgrowth of yeast, BV is an overgrowth of your NORMAL vaginal bacteria. Flick through to learn more! As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there's anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Repost For many people, thrush or a yeast infection can present as itchiness or irritation in the genital area. This can be extremely frustrating and uncomfortable! However, treatment is easy, effective and quickly improves symptoms. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there's anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Did you know that another name for pubic lice is “crabs”? These creepy crawlies are easily treated and have no long-term health consequences! As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Happy Sunday whānau! Sorry for the late post… Tonight we’re talking about 🦀 pubic lice 🦀 (or crabs). Pubic lice is very easy to treat with insecticide creams or over-the-counter shampoos. There are no long-term health consequences. It’s important to tell your partner(s) if you have pubic lice so that they can be treated as necessary. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Did you know that another name for pubic lice is “crabs”? These creepy crawlies are easily treated and have no long-term health consequences! As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Syphilis rates in Aotearoa are on the rise. It can be spread through all different types of s🍳. This STI can have particularly serious consequences if left untreated, so it’s super important to be aware. Testing involves a simple blood test that can be organised by your GP or a sexual health clinic and treatment is simple with antibiotics. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Many people who have syphilis don’t experience any symptoms. There are three stages of infection: primary, secondary and late. Each present with slightly different symptoms (if any). If you or one of your sexual partners are experiencing these symptoms, make an appointment to catch up with your health care professional (GP or local sexual health clinic) to get tested. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Many people find it difficult to talk about sexuality and sexual health. This is due to generations of stigma that suffocates the conversation. Here’s some tips for sharing a diagnosis of an STI with your sexual partners. Most people find their partners are supportive and understanding, and that the mental stress of having to go through telling them is less than the stress related to trying to keep it from them. By having open and honest conversations about sex and sexual health, you can contribute to fighting the stigma. An awesome resource to help you draft messages can be found at Burnett foundation. The Burnett Foundation has a great resource for telling your sexual partner about an STI diagnosis - and will even generate a message for you based on your specifications of whether this is a one- night stand to a more regular f** buddy. Follow this link to access this. https://www.burnettfoundation.org.nz/tellme/

We are so excited to announce ‘Insights’, a 4-part video series created by AJ O'Dea in collaboration with Intersex Aotearoa. Follow the link in our bio to register your attendance now at the launch event on the 25th of October!

We are so excited to announce ‘Insights’, a 4-part video series created by AJ O'Dea in collaboration with Intersex Aotearoa. Follow the link in our bio to register your attendance now at the launch event on the 25th of October!

Happy Sunday whānau! This week we’re delving into the topic of urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs affect almost everyone in their life! Although they are not a sexually transmitted infection, they are super common and commonly associated with sex, so we thought we would include them in this series! They are more common in those with a vagina and very easy to treat. We’ve also included some things to look out for that could mean you have a UTI! If you find yourself constantly needing to pee, having pain when peeing, or your pee looking a bit unusual, it’s best to go to the doctor and get a test (simply pee in a urine pottle!) NB: in pregnant people or people with a vagina who are older, UTI’s may present differently and require prompt treatment. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

We thought we would include some ‘old wives’ tales for remedy/prevention of UTI’s that are passed through generations - some are more effective than others and remember - if you’re experiencing the symptoms above - the best thing to do is go straight to the doctor and get some ✨magical antibiotics✨ that will fix the problem stat! DISCLAIMER: these are not scientifically proven methods, just what works for us As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Free STI testing is available for under-22-year-olds from family planning throughout Aotearoa! It’s always a good idea to get tested if you suspect you may have been exposed to an STI - whether you have symptoms or not. 
As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Gonorrhea and chlamydia are both sexually transmitted infections (STIs) caused by different bacteria - Neisseria gonorrhoeae for gonorrhea and Chlamydia trachomatis for chlamydia. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Many studies have documented a correlation between an STI diagnosis and poor mental health. In a 2021 paper published in PeerJ, the prevalence of depression was 17.9% amongst study participants, compared to less than 5% in the general population. It’s important to recognise the toll an STI diagnosis can take on your mental health and be gentle with yourself. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Free STI testing is available for under-22-year-olds from family planning throughout Aotearoa! It’s always a good idea to get tested - whether you have symptoms or not! **As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖**

Here are some stories from rangatahi about their experiences with a chlamydia diagnosis. Click on the following links to find out more → testimonial 1 https://helloclue.com/articles/sex/what-it's-like-to-have-an-sti testimonial 2 https://medicalherstory.com/lisa-chlamydia/ testimonial 3 https://www.mamamia.com.au/chlamydia-personal-experience/ testimonial 4 https://www.bitterblush.com/blog/sex-and-dating/a-chlamydia-story As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Chlamydia is SO common - at least 1 in 10 women and 1 in 20 men in Aotearoa report ever having received the diagnosis! AND it’s easily treated with a short course of antibiotics! Keep up the korero and get tested! As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Check out our 6 myth-busters to see if you’ve been caught out by any… Visit the New Zealand Herpes Foundation to find out more → https://www.herpes.org.nz/herpes-patient-info/myths-vs-facts As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Herpes stigma is EVERYWHERE and no surprises, Hollywood is partly to blame (https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwgpv4/the-real-problem-with-hollywoods-depiction-of-herpes). Here are the facts. As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

Here are some stories from Kiwi’s about their experiences with a Herpes diagnosis. Click on the following links to find out more → http://bit.ly/43RX8t2; https://bit.ly/3OTmm5S; https://bit.ly/47sdrQd As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

For more HPV stories we recommend you visit the amazing website “Jo’s cervical cancer trust” → http://bit.ly/43RX8t2 As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

For more details about cervical screening, we recommend Time To Screen! (website owned at maintained by Te Whatu Ora) https://www.timetoscreen.nz 
As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖

You can learn more about the HPV vaccine from this page on our sister website, ‘The New Zealand HPV Project’ → https://bit.ly/3OiA6FU 
As always, send us a DM or leave a comment below if there’s anything you want to see covered next week or if you have any questions 💖