Programmes We Fund

The Cancer Society of New Zealand is the leading organisation dedicated to reducing the incidence of cancer and ensuring the best cancer care for everyone in New Zealand. They are the leading cancer patient advocates in New Zealand, providing a voice on all kinds of issues including cancer detection and treatment.

They have a National Office located in Wellington, six regional offices and 15 centres. The Cancer Society of New Zealand has been partners of Movember since 2008 and together we are working towards a shared goal of reducing the impact of prostate cancer on New Zealand men and their loved ones.

Together, Movember and the Cancer Society are dedicated to:

• Funding important, world-class New Zealand research into the cause, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of prostate cancer
• Providing information, support and advocacy to those affected by prostate cancer.
• Raising community awareness about prostate cancer.

Example of Movember Funded Programmes

Programme 1: Radar Research Programme
RADAR prostate cancer trial is the biggest prostate cancer trial in Australasia and has been running since 2007. Associate Professor David Lamb, based in Wellington, is investigating how long to use hormone therapy in prostate cancer and whether the side effects of treatment (osteoporosis) could be reduced by the use of bone-hardening drugs (bisphosphonates).





Programme 2: Effects of Physical Activity on Prostate Cancer
Dr Justin Keogh and Dr Daniel Shepherd, School of Sport and Recreation, AUT University, Auckland are working on methods to improve the health and quality of life of prostate cancer patients on androgen deprivation therapy by programmed physical activity. Money from this grant will be used by the investigator to explore how best to get men with prostate cancer into exercise programmes. It is hoped exercise may help to reverse the loss of strength men experience whilst on hormone treatment.



Programme 3: The National Men’s Health Challenge

The national office ran the Men's Health Challenge for the third year, specifically targeting organisations such as the Defence Forces, Fire and Police Services where the majority of employees are men. The Men’s Health Challenge was launched on Father’s Day and aimed to encourage men – especially those over 50 – to be more proactive about their health. Men are challenged to ‘tick’ their risk factors on a scorecard and make an appointment to see a health professional if they have ticked two or more risks.




Programme 4: Get the Tools Cancer Information Website
The Cancer Society received feedback that men wanted information on Cancer awareness and prevention in a way that is simple, private, and easy to understand with a touch of humour. The result of this feedback was the Canwork Tool Kit. The Tool Kit is an online information site that targets workplaces with a strong male presence.

The Tool kit is trying to encourage men to take responsibility for their own health by making them more aware of the symptoms of cancer in a private and confidential setting.



Programme 5: Exercise Programme for Men with a Cancer Diagnosis
Colleen Kendrick looked at the amount of programmes available for Women diagnosed with cancer and realised that there was almost nothing similar for men.  Colleen is a Tauranga based Cancer Society liaison nurse and combined with physiotherapist Lucy Osborne to develop a six week exercise programme specifically designed for men with a cancer diagnosis.



The programme was extremely well received and meets an untapped need amongst men. The vast majority of the men participating have never sorted out Cancer Society services before and the success of the programme is likely to see it expand.