Differently Normal NZ

28/05/2026

A breakdown of the Bill

14/05/2026

There is so much that can be done better for long COVID, a mainstream illness. It starts with treating it like other common chronic health conditions. Take it seriously, treat it properly and give people their lives back
I'm so honoured to have co-written an article with Professor Mona Jeffreys, a respected epidemiologist.
Here’s a link: The long COVID paradox - everywhere but nowhere.

Comment from Victoria University: In 2022 NZ’s Long Covid response showed promise, but it’s hard to justify our business-as-usual approach now

13/05/2026

There is so much that can be done better for long COVID, a mainstream illness. It starts with treating it like other common chronic health conditions. Take it seriously, treat it properly and give people their lives back
I'm so honoured to have co-written an article with Professor Mona Jeffreys, a respected epidemiologist.

Comment from Victoria University: In 2022 NZ’s Long Covid response showed promise, but it’s hard to justify our business-as-usual approach now

11/05/2026

ME/CFS awareness. I'm so grateful for the ME/CFS community. They swiftly saw the problem that Long Covid would become, advocated for us, validated us and shared their knowledge. Thank you 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Below is an excellent recap (Dr Robert Groysman) of what they did

Before Long COVID had a name, ME/CFS patients had already mapped the territory.They documented PEM decades
before researchers had a term for it. They tracked autonomic dysfunction in journals and spreadsheets long before tilt table tests became standard. They fought for recognition from physicians, insurers, and family members who told
them nothing was wrong.
What the ME/CFS community built:

1 -A language for invisible illness. "Energy envelope." "Payback." "Crash." These terms did not come from research labs. They came from patients describing their reality when medicine had no vocabulary for it.
2 -Advocacy infrastructure. Organizations fighting for research funding, disability recognition, and
clinical guidelines existed for years before 2020.
When Long COVID arrived, that infrastructure gave millions of new patients a foundation to stand on
3 -Pacing as a survival strategy. The concept of activity management, staying within your energy limits to prevent crashes, was dismissed aslaziness for decades. ME/CFS patients proved it was the single most effective self-management tool for post-viral fatigue conditions
4- Proof that post-viral illness is real. Every Long COVID patient benefits from the decades of ME/CFS research establishing biological markers
immune dysfunction patterns, and mitochondrial abnormalities in post-viral populations
The overlap between ME/CFS and Long COVID is substantial. Many patients meet criteria for both.
The mechanisms driving each condition share common ground in autonomic, mitochondrial, and immune pathways

To the ME/CFS community: you were here first.
You fought when nobody was listening. Long COVID patients stand on the foundation you built

20/04/2026

Long Covid's impacts on health, social, and economic justify a well-coordinated national response focused on prevention, people-centred care, and research.

19/03/2026

Many Long Haulers used their spoons in the development of this tool. Share this with your GP/NP, to help them better understand and better manage your care

Dr Mona Jeffreys from Victoria University Wellington has shared a very useful new interactive Primary Health Care resource for adults with Long Covid for GP's.

Mona is speaking about it at our April Online Group meeting, keep an eye out for the event on our page.

https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/fehps/centres/health-services-research-centre/recent-projects/evidence-based-management-of-long-covid/management-of-long-covid-in-primary-care/Resource-for-GPs-2026.pdf

18/03/2026

New data from the Ministry of Health estimates 185,000 New Zealanders experienced Long Covid symptoms in the 12 months ending July last year.

Read more ⬇

13/03/2026

With Covid on the rise again, it's important to mask up and protect yourself. StickmanCommunications has communication resources for masks and invisible health condtions like ME/CFS, POTS, brain fog etc. You can order them through us at Differentlynormalnz for Aotearoa delivery (Discounts for health workers, students and CSC holders).
In the mean time to reduce your risk:
+ ensure you are up-to-date with vaccinations,
+ wear well-fitting masks in crowded indoor spaces,
+improve ventilation,
+practice good hygiene.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/589319/as-covid-hits-again-new-zealand-confronts-its-pandemic-past

09/03/2026

March is

On this important month, we stand with the millions of people living with Long Covid around the world.
* Raising visibility
* Driving understanding
* Pushing for better support
* Help spread awareness

This show your support and learn more about how to manage long COVID and how you can support someone living with long COVID in Aotearoa: https://www.facebook.com/longcovidsupportaotearoa

🥰💙💙

06/03/2026

Six years into the pandemic and we still need more research for Long Covid.

While there is research underway revealing helpful hints into the mechanisms of Long Covid, including viral persistence and endothelial damage, so much more needs to be done - and now.

We need research into how Long Covid affects the body and into treatments, and with everyone's experience with Long Covid varying (there are over 200 symptoms), this means an extensive world wide commitment to understanding and curing this debilitating condition.