Kia ora … nau mai, haere mai! (Hello … and welcome!)
I’m Tui Tapanui (an online pseudonym) and I’m one of the uncounted thousands – possibly tens of thousands – of New Zealanders who developed Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) in the early 1980s, during the nationwide Tapanui ‘Flu epidemic.
I have two main goals for this website:
(1) To document the history of the Tapanui ‘Flu epidemic, M.E. and CFS in New Zealand, via a series of static web pages which will be added over time. This process will include the addition of reference materials from the pre-digital era (assuming appropriate permissions can be gained) so that they become readily accessible to a wider audience.
(2) To write blog articles that offer analyses, commentary, exposés, opinions, or human interest stories covering a range of issues that have been persistently blighting the lives of people living with M.E. and CFS in New Zealand, some of which could now be similarly affecting people with Long Covid.
This site will likely be a work in progress for quite some time due to my own poor state of health. But I am hopeful that it will grow, little by little, into a unique and useful resource – one that might help us to learn from past and current mistakes in order to build a better future. So please check back from time to time to see what’s new, or subscribe below for updates.
Ngā mihi,
Tapanui 'Flu Blog 