MECFS Canterbury

20/03/2026

Why do we use the Godwit, the Kuaka?

Our logo depicts a flying Kuaka, the Godwit. These birds show incredible endurance and are recognised for their tenacity and perseverance.

Now that winter is approaching, thousands of Kuaka have left Aotearoa and started their journey north to the breeding grounds of Alaska, stopping off in Korea and Japan for a rest and some food on the way. On the return journey, as our summer approaches, they fly directly to New Zealand, a trip of endurance with no food, water, or rest; nearly 12,000 km non-stop.

The Kuaka fly in flocks, with birds taking turns to lead and conserve their energy in the slipstream of others. Some banded birds have made that journey 20 times and some of them come to the Canterbury coast. The Kuaka arrive back at the Avon Heathcote Estuary every spring.

In the face of an enormous challenge, the Kuaka brings a spirit of endurance and cooperation, and that is what makes the Kuaka an appropriate symbol for MECFS Canterbury.

The Kuaka have been seen as birds of mystery: there is a saying: ‘Kua kite te kohanga kuaka?’,
‘Who has seen the nest of the kuaka?’.

The mystery of course was because the Kuaka makes their nests far away in Alaska.

There’s a parallel there with our experience with ME/CFS. The illness is as real as the Kuaka, but no one yet knows what is causing it. Hopefully one day, soon, the answer to the mystery will be as obvious as the location of the Kuaka’s nests is to us now.

There’s another evocative saying about the kuaka that can inspire our community:
‘Ka ngau ki te turi kakao te paringa o te tai, e tika te rere o te kuaka’

‘The spinifex wanders along the beach like the incoming tide, the kuaka flies direct’.

The big spiny seed heads of the spinifex plant move along the beach like tumbleweeds, backwards and forwards at the whim of the wind. But the Kuaka make their own way, working with purpose and as a group to achieve something remarkable.

It’s said that when Pacific explorers saw the flocks of Kuaka flying so determinedly and seeing that they weren’t sea-birds, they knew that there must be land to the south.

So, they set off, following the Kuaka flocks, and discovered Aotearoa.

We like to think that the scientists can be like those explorers, following the clues from people with ME/CFS, to make a great medical discovery.

18/03/2026

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

Listen time: 31 mins 16 sec.

Speaking to RNZ reporter Kathryn Ryan, Renee Dingwall shares her experience navigating the public health system with Long Covid, a complex chronic illness, highlighting the need for clear clinical pathways and coordinated care.

Long Covid Support Aotearoa's Larisa Hockey echoes the urgent need for structured care noting there has never been a publicly funded Long Covid Clinic and that the government has no plans to monitor Long Covid in New Zealand.

Meanwhile researchers like Mona Jeffreys (Victoria University of Wellington) are working to bridge the gap, developing resources for GP's to better support patients.

Six years after the country went into its first pandemic lockdown, new data shows the impact of Long Covid on hundreds of thousands of Kiwis, but what, if anything, has changed for Long Covid patients and their treatment?

18/03/2026

"Now that the scale of the problem is clearer, we want to know why there are still no plans to monitor it." - Larisa Hockey Long Covid Support Aotearoa

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

17/03/2026

Listen time: 7mins 02 sec

Larisa Hockey from Long Covid Support Aotearoa talks to RNZ’s Corrin Dann about the more than 400,000 New Zealanders experiencing Long Covid.

More than 400,000 Kiwis have reported experiencing long-covid in newly-released figures from Health New Zealand. Larisa Hockey from Long Covid Support Aotearoa spoke to Corin Dann.

15/03/2026

15/03/2026

One of the greatest tragedies of the Covid-19 pandemic is the effect Long Covid is having on children.

Millions of children and young people worldwide have been debilitated by Long Covid. They are missing out on school, sport, socialising, learning to drive, get jobs and more.

They need flexibility and support from schools, doctors who recognise Long Covid, and they need treatments so they can grow into the people they were meant to be.

14/03/2026

Did you know that most research shows that around 10-20% of people who contract Covid-19 go on to develop Long Covid* regardless of previous health? And of those people with Long Covid about 60% meet the diagnostic criteria for Myalgic Encelphalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).**

Long Covid isn't “just feeling tired after Covid” It can cause persistent, fluctuating symptoms that can last months, years or never fully resolve. The symptoms can involve many bodily systems, seriously impacting quality of life. It doesn’t depend on how severe the initial infection was, even mild or asymptomatic infections can lead to Long Covid.

ME/CFS is one of the recoginised outcomes in a significant portion of Long Covid cases and people with ME/CFS experience profound exhaustion, cognitive dysfunction, post-exertional malaise (PEM) and dysautonomia among many other symptoms. While medical understanding is still evolving, the overlap between Long Covid and ME/CFS highlights how important it is to listen to patient experiences, take symptoms seriously, and support ongoing research and care.

On this Long Covid Awareness Day, ME/CFS Canterbury / West Coast acknowledges the reality so many are living with, including those who are too unwell to be online, attend events or speak for themselves.

___________________________


Sources:
* https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/fact-sheets/item/post-covid-19-condition
** https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-022-00846-2