Maureen Pugh - West Coast-Tasman MP
A couple of weeks ago I took advantage of a free skin check that was available in Parliament. I was stunned to find that I had something on my back that needs urgent attention. Like many rural people I have spent a great deal of time working outside in the sunshine, but until I took a few minutes to get a skin check I had no idea there was anything to be concerned about. After my check I got talking to Dr Franz Strydom, a skin specialist and GP from Mt Maunganui. He told me that based on available research New Zealand farmers visit a doctor about as often as other working people – between 2 and 3 visits every 12 months. But this statistic doesn’t tell the whole story because our farmers face significant and unique barriers to accessing healthcare.
We all know that there is a shortage of rural GPs, with a good number of medical centres not enrolling new patients and many have reduced or no after-hours services. Geographical isolation often means a single visit to a doctor turns into a half or full day away from the property. During busy times like calving, harvesting or lambing it can be even more challenging. And there’s the perennial problem of our “she’ll be right” attitude of playing down symptoms, hoping for the best and toughing it out until the problem becomes severe. All of these factors lead to a gap in important preventative health care – a farmer might see a doctor for an injury, but they are much less likely to go for regular, preventative health checks. At Field Days last year, Melanoma New Zealand provided 577 free spot checks and found 103 suspicious lesions, of which 21 were suspected melanomas.
We spend long hours outdoors, often exposed to strong sunlight for much of the year so we are facing much higher risks of developing skin cancer than those who work mostly indoors.The consistent medical advice for high-risk individuals is to have a professional, full-body skin check at least once a year – these checks can be life-saving and, beyond personal health, keeping up with skin checks is also about maintaining productivity and peace of mind. Combined with good sun protection (wide-brimmed hats, sunscreen and sunglasses) regular skin checks help create a much stronger defence against UV damage.
So that’s my end-of-year message – “Don’t Let Your Hide Get Fried”. Thank you for ploughing through another year. You’ve sown, grown, and mown. Best wishes for the Festive Season and 2026.
From sunrise to sunset,
you’ve carried us all.
May the new year be kind
to your soil and your soul.
