FMG is sponsoring Melanoma New Zealand’s brand new skin cancer spot check van to bring free melanoma spot checks on the FMG Spot Check Roadie to even more rural communities across Aotearoa.
FMG is sponsoring Melanoma New Zealand’s brand new skin cancer spot check van to bring free melanoma spot checks on the FMG Spot Check Roadie to even more rural communities across Aotearoa.
The new van, which will be based in the South Island, means more opportunities to raise awareness in areas where many people work outdoors and may be at higher risk of developing melanoma.
The FMG Spot Check Roadie has been traveling the country, providing free melanoma spot checks at rural events since 2021. In the first half of this year, Melanoma New Zealand’s Nurse Educators have identified hundreds of suspicious lesions with over 40 being suspected melanomas.
The new van is an extension of FMG’s partnership with Melanoma NZ and means there are now vans based in both the North and South Islands providing more Spot Check Roadie events across the country. These events are part of Melanoma New Zealand’s wider programme of spot check events across the country.
“Partnering with Melanoma NZ to save lives and prevent suffering is a no-brainer for us,” says Pete Frizzell, Chief Marketing Officer at FMG. “We know it can be harder for those living rurally to access healthcare, so let’s take this life-saving service into these communities.”
With one of the highest melanoma rates in the world, New Zealand sees over 7,000 diagnoses and around 300 deaths each year. Yet melanoma is often preventable—and if caught and treated early, it’s almost always curable.
“This van is a superb educational resource that will help save lives,” says Andrea Newland, Chief Executive of Melanoma New Zealand. “We’re incredibly grateful to FMG for helping us reach more at-risk communities.”
From late June, the South Island van will begin visiting communities, starting with Ashburton on 26 June. You can find the full schedule at melanoma.org.nz/spot-check-events.
As a mutual, FMG is committed to building strong and prosperous rural communities. Supporting initiatives like this is just one way we invest back into the wellbeing of our clients and the wider rural sector.
