A move to slash spending on HIV prevention was stopped after it threatened to embarrass the Government ahead of next weekend's Ending HIV Big Gay Out.
Health Minister David Clark confirmed he had directed ministry officials to stop a planned $202,000 cut to the annual budget of the NZ Aids Foundation, after being asked for comment by the Herald on Sunday.
The Aids Foundation planned to use next Sunday's Ending HIV Big Gay Out in Auckland - the event's 20th anniversary - to urge Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and other political attendees to reverse the funding reduction.
Ardern and politicians including Finance Minister Grant Robertson have been regular attendees at past Big Gay Outs, with Labour highlighting its commitment to helping end HIV transmissions in New Zealand by 2025.
However, the Ministry of Health recently told the NZ Aids Foundation that from July it would lose $202,000 from its annual budget, money that supported the foundation's science and policy team.