February 2010

Summer 2010

Summer 2010 has seen a lot of discussion in the media about staying safe in the sun, with sunscreen and Vitamin D hot topics for debate. The HSC works to support your work by trying to keep sun safety in the news with both paid and unpaid media. We want New Zealanders to be aware of sun safe messages consistently over the summer.

Health promoters are key players in skin cancer control and you are highly influential in your communities. National organisations are also critical to ensure consistent messages are delivered in communities around the country.

We realise workloads are high, with melanoma prevention one of a number of priorities. Please let me know if there are additional ways we can support your work. Your feedback is always welcome – please feel free to email or call (04) 472 5777.

Best wishes for the rest of the summer.

Wayde Beckman
SunSmart Manager

Refreshed SunSmart.org.nz

Find facts, breaking news and research on the refreshed SunSmart website. The SunSmart team at the HSC has updated the website following feedback that some material was hard to find. If you are working with local authorities check out the planning tools and case studies.

Do you have ideas about information we should include on the site? Contact Wayde or Sun Safety Advisor Susie Greene with your thoughts.

Slip, slop, slap and wrap – iconic part of New Zealand summer

Slip, slop, slap and wrap is well known by Kiwis, in fact, they see it as an iconic part of New Zealand’s summer – a positive and helpful reminder to be sun safe.

Participants in recent focus group testing of SunSmart resources also told us that they want to be reminded about sun safety when they are on their journey to the beach, park or outdoor activity, such as in petrol stations, dairies, malls, supermarkets, or on outdoor billboards.

Read more about how people view summer and sun safety messaging. Or contact Wayde on 04 472 5777 or wayde@hsc.org.nz for more information.

SunSmart goes mobile over summer

Going mobile made economic sense this summer. With a small budget, a mobile text campaign with online and radio promotion allowed us to get more bang for our buck and push out tailored region-specific messages.

Paying for a subscription database allowed us to get a good number of subscriptions initially, then radio and online promotion (a partnership with NZ Herald Online weather pages) helped build the subscription list further. The chance to win a hands-free car kit each month added a hook for people to sign up.

We sent messages each Saturday morning with the rationale that this is when most people are planning their weekend recreation activities. Special tailored messages were sent on public holidays and major events, such as anniversary weekends, New Year, and the Rugby 7s.

Check out the promotion on the NZ Herald weather page until the end of February.

What will we be saying about sun safety in 2011?

The direction of sun safety and skin cancer control for the next three years will be decided by the Skin Cancer Control Steering Committee in May this year.

The Committee is a group of experts and key stakeholders who meet every three years to develop the strategic direction for the next three years. They will develop a framework or guide for action that is intended to encourage co-ordination in New Zealand on skin cancer control and contribute to best outcomes. HSC will be contributing to this process. We'll keep you updated as this progresses.

11 March 2011: Mark this date on your calendar!

The Melanoma Network of New Zealand (MelNet) will be hosting the second national Melanoma Summit at Te Papa in Wellington on Friday 11 March 2011. As with the inaugural summit in 2008, the programme will be designed for all those working in melanoma, including health promoters, health professionals, researchers and policy makers.

Are there colleagues who would like to read this newsletter?

If you have colleagues who would be interested in this newsletter press forward to a friend at the bottom left of the newsletter. You can subscribe by pressing the subscribe button at the bottom of the newsletter.

And please email Wayde or Susie if there is information you would like included in future newsletters.

Best wishes

Wayde Beckman and Susie Greene