The final Strategy will be launched in February 2025.
A working group of skin cancer experts, with support from MelNet and funding support from Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand, has reviewed and updated the Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Strategy.
The Strategy outlines recommendations aimed at reducing the incidence and impact of skin cancer in New Zealand through primary prevention and early detection. These recommendations are supported by research on the epidemiology of skin cancer in New Zealand and the effectiveness of prevention and early detection interventions globally.
The Strategy comprises three key documents:
- Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Strategy
- Supplementary information to the Strategy
- Guidance for skin cancer prevention and early detection messaging
The Strategy will be formally launched in February 2025. Further details will be released shortly.
About the Strategy
Skin cancers are by far the most common cancers in New Zealand and also represent a significant cost burden on the New Zealand health system. Yet most skin cancers are preventable.
Evidence suggests that the best avenues for reducing New Zealand’s skin cancer burden are primary prevention and early diagnosis.
Since its inception in 2001, the Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Strategy has been instrumental in guiding skin cancer prevention and early detection efforts in New Zealand. Developed by a dedicated working group of researchers and representatives from skin cancer-focused organisations, the Strategy has continually evolved through iterative improvements.
The Strategy is aimed at all those who play a role in the preventing and detecting skin cancer. It is designed to guide actions that will help minimise the skin cancer burden on our country, as well as serve as an evidence-based source of information.
It supports outcomes identified in broader Government healthcare frameworks and works alongside the Quality Statements to Guide Melanoma Diagnosis and Treatment in New Zealand, which also cover best practice melanoma diagnosis, treatment, and care.
The Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Strategy 2017 - 2022 is available (as a PDF) here and on the SunSmart website.