by Kevin Hague
Spending ten years working for the NZ AIDS Foundation made me pretty passionate about men’s health.
Many of us are pretty hopeless at keeping ourselves well in the first place, and even worse at seeking help when we’ve got a problem. In various roles in the health sector I have tried to advance the cause of trying to change this situation through awareness raising and by making health services more responsive to men’s needs and culture – with varying success, I have to say.
My favourite was National Penis Day, that the Foundation ran in 2002. We were able to shift effortlessly between having fun with the idea through self-parody and some serious awareness-raising stuff, sometimes at the same time. The Rock radio station, for example, broadcast sexual health information, condom use guidelines and instructions for testicular self-examination to a huge number of young men who quite likely would never otherwise have come across this information.
So it’s with some enthusiasm that I’m taking up the Movember challenge this year. No doubt there will be some other MPs also participating and hopefully we can use our public profile to raise awareness of men’s health issues generally, and funds specifically for the Cancer Society’s work on prostate cancer and the Mental Health Foundation’s work on depression – both great organisations and causes.
In earlier years I didn’t feel able to support the event because funds went to the Prostate Cancer Foundation’s campaign to promote screening, which I strongly disagreed with, so I applauded the change of beneficiary organisations, but just didn’t get myself organised last year (something else on).
In my case there is also a potential embarrassment factor, with my results perhaps looking something like kids might produce when decorating a boiled egg, and on the basis of previous facial hair, the chances of it remaining after 30th Movember are remote. I see my main role as awareness raising, but I do have a page on the Movember website where you can donate to support these great causes. If you can afford it, please do!
Published in Environment & Resource Management | Health & Wellbeing by Kevin Hague on Fri, October 30th, 2009
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on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
What sort of mo’ then aye
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Still deciding – suggestions welcome! Overall it would seem that the approach with most potential would be to go big and cut back as necessary, but this perhaps exaggerates ridiculousness. The more cautious approach would be modest to begin with, with elaboration if time and testosterone allow.
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Swashbuckler please. Or walrus. Either way, something the letters in alphabet soup would pray for.
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Or maybe an Errol Flynn. Best of both worlds!
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You know what’s coming next, don’t you.
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what color will it be..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
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It may be as much a surprise for me as for you Phil. Will I have to invest in hair- care products? (minus the Palm Oil of course)
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I recommend that standard edge of nostrils to corner of mouth, neatly trimmed mo. Makes the statement….without talking the piss.
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OutinFront
“I recommend that standard edge of nostrils to corner of mouth,”
Yeah, you don’t want it to go less than all the way to the corners of the mouth
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1 vote for handlebar! Otherwise known as the ‘Merv Hughes’.
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