Share Satisfaction and Ettie Kits seek to change how the Kiwi market access STI testing forever
A collaboration between two female led brands focused on sexual health and wellness hope to empower and encourage STI testing for all genders and ages with rapid at home testing.
Sexual health brand Share Satisfaction have teamed up with the Ettie Kit, a rapid result STI testing kit developed by advocacy group Project Gender and named after Kiwi sexual health pioneer Ettie Rout. The kit itself is a trailblazer, developed by co-founders Erin Jackson, Angela Meyer and Tania Dobson and is the first of its kind on the Kiwi market to offer multiple tests in one box without the need to wait on lab results. In collaboration with Share Satisfaction founder Taslim Parsons the Ettie Kit Ultimate will contain a box of 12 condoms and water-based lube, with the product championing health and pleasure. The cost for the extras, which promote sexual health, won’t be passed on to the consumer according to Parsons, who said the total added value is estimated to be NZ$25. “The price is not changing, all we are doing is adding value,” she said.
At a cost of NZ$89, the kits will boast four tests and will not only be available through sexual wellness retailers, but also through pharmacies and other retailers to ensure the ethos of accessibility to all genders remains in the forefront. When asked how the response had been from Parson’s retail networks, she said it had been nothing but positive. “They really want them, and we’re ready to answer that call,” she said. “Some places do sell STI tests, but the Ettie Kit’s have such a distinctive point of difference, everything about it is user-friendly. In a post-COVID world, at home rapid health tests have become an essential in many households first aid kits – so why can’t a sexual health test be the same?”
Despite similar products being available in New Zealand, the Ettie Kit is the first to include multiple tests, without the need to wait on lab results. Its discreet, colourful packaging is another way the collaboration have approached removing stigma away from testing and practicing safe sex for all genders. “This is about sexual empowerment and to own your sexuality,” Ettie Kit co-founder Erin Jackson said. “There are barriers that we don’t see all the time in different layers of society, and we (Ettie Kits and Share Satisfaction) want to break down those barriers holding people back.” Jackson said single kits are still in development, but for now the ultimate kits, which include high quality condoms and lubricant from Share Satisfaction, will be the best value on the market.
Sexual health is a pillar of general health, according to Parsons, who said physical and mental health work symbiotically with a healthy and safe sex life. Studies conducted by Project Gender showed there was an element of shame around going to the GP to test for STIs. “There is so much stigma we need to break down and that’s why the partnership with Share Satisfaction is so exciting because what we’re trying to do is normalise conversations around health and pleasure, and to take back ownership,” Jackson said. The study also showed only 32 per cent of online daters ‘always’ used protection against STIs during consensual sex, while 21 per cent “never” did.
Over-50s were the least likely to consistently use protection with 42 per cent of the sample group claiming to ‘never’ use protection. This collaboration is about changing the statistics and encouraging all genders from all age groups to have safe, fun and meaningful sex lives through destigmatisation and education. “What we want to do is change the conversation in that a part of being a responsible sexual partner, means you are testing,” Jackson said.
