Since his death last week tributes have flowed for Martin Phillipps, the late frontman of seminal New Zealand band The Chills.
While his influence on New Zealand and the wider international music scene has been at the forefront of those tributes, his openness about living with hepatitis C has also been championed.
It is estimated there are more than 50,000 people in New Zealand with the hepatitis C virus, although it is estimated only half are currently diagnosed with the blood-borne disease that causes inflammation of the liver, and can result in liver damage and liver cancer.
Tuari Potiki, currently the chair of the NZ Drug Foundation, and previously the first Māori chairperson of the New Zealand Needle Exchange. speaks to Todd Zaner about Phillip's impact.
Martin Phillipps Photo: Greta van der Star
