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Get Spotted 2026, Melanoma New Zealand
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Melanoma Awareness Month 2026

Check for changes. Learn the potential signs of skin cancer; look out for your loved ones. La Roche-Posay, proudly supporting Melanoma New Zealand.
Get Spotted this October: Melanoma Awareness Month 2026

It's Melanoma Awareness Month

This October, Get Spotted, as part of our Melanoma Awareness Month campaign, sponsored by La Roche-Posay. You can have a free spot check, learn all about melanoma and how you can help prevent it, learn how to check your own skin, and support Melanoma New Zealand by making a lifesaving donation, which will help fund even more free spot checks around the country and those who are navigating a melanoma diagnosis. 

Check for changes: the A-G guide

The A-G guide to melanoma: asymmetry, border, colour, diameter, evolving, firm and growing – the changes to look for on your skin.

Swipe across the guide, or tap it to open it full size.

This A-G guide is for general information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be, and must not be used as, a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Not all skin cancers look like moles and may not follow the changes shown in the ABCDEFG method. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional for new, changing or suspicious lesions.

La Roche-Posay

What's happening in October

Thanks to the generous support of our partner, La Roche-Posay, throughout October, there will be a free spot check drive at shopping malls in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin to raise awareness, offer free spot checks and share lifesaving information about melanoma and how to prevent and detect it.

Show dates for

This is a unique opportunity to receive a five-minute, non-invasive spot check* from a skilled Melanoma New Zealand Nurse Educator and learn life-saving advice and information about melanoma. *Please note that our Nurse Educator will check up to three spots. This is not a full-body check, and we do not provide a diagnosis. We still recommend regular full-body skin checks by your GP, dermatologist, surgeon, or plastic surgeon. No appointment is necessary. However, as this is a public event, we will provide spot checks on a first-come, first-served basis.

Get Spotted Colouring Competition

Colour-in to win a $20,000 shade sail!

What if we told you essential sun safety for Tamariki could start with a colouring pencil?

Melanoma New Zealand's Get Spotted Colouring-in Competition is open to all New Zealand registered early childhood education centres, preschools and primary schools (Years 1-6).

It’s a fun and easy way to get children to be creative and start important conversations about staying safe in the sun.

The winner's school will receive a Shade Sail valued at $20,000 thanks to our partner Lidgard Shades!

Entries open 23 September and close 11:59pm on Friday 6 November.

What are you waiting for? Sign up, get creative and Get Spotted!

Sign up to get the colouring-in sheet now!

The Get Spotted colouring-in sheet: Sunny, a smiling sun in a hat and sunglasses holding sunscreen on a beach, beside the words Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide.

How to check your skin

Watch this four-minute video about self-checking your skin – it could save your life.

How to prevent sun damage

Melanoma is almost always preventable. As you get older, the build-up of UV exposure over your lifetime leads to damaged skin and an increased likelihood of melanoma.

Use our SLIP, SLOP, SLAP, SEEK, SLIDE guide below as a reminder of how to prevent sun damage. 

Slip

Cover up with long-sleeved shirts with collars, as well as long pants, skirts or lavalava. You can look out for clothing that uses UV protective fabrics, known as Ultra Violet Protection Factor or UPF.

Slop

Slop on some broad-spectrum sunscreen, that is at least SPF 30 which protects against both UVA and UVB rays and is water resistant. Remember to apply 20 minutes before going outside and reapply every 2 hours with a two coat approach.

Check our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more detailed information on sunscreen.
Watch video >

Slap

Slap on a broad-brimmed hat with at least a 7.5cm brim. Did you know caps do not protect the neck, ears, or side of the face?

Seek

Seek shade, particularly from September to April, and especially between 10am and 4pm. Schedule outdoor activities for times of the day with the least UV radiation. Use an umbrella or a portable shade.

Slide

Slide on some close-fitting sunglasses that don’t let the sun rays into the side of your frames. Polarised glasses help, particularly with UV reflection from concrete, water and snow.
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