Miraka to sponsor cervical cancer screening campaign

Riders on last year's Smear Your Mea awareness-raising journey.

Taupō-based dairy company Miraka has announced its sponsorship of the 2023 Smear Your Mea cervical cancer screening campaign.

The campaign also encourages prostate cancer awareness.

Trustee Te Ururoa Flavell said the Smear Your Mea Trust was established as a legacy and in memory of the late Talei Morrison - a young mother, teacher and well-respected Māori performing arts exponent. Talei passed away in 2018 from cervical cancer.

Morrison, who was from Rotorua, shared her diagnosis and treatment on social media, encouraging others not to delay getting their regular screening tests as she had done, after an uncomfortable experience put her off.

By the time she experienced symptoms and sought help, the cancer had advanced. She was just 42 years old when she died.

Smear Your Mea says that cervical screening can be life-saving, as early detection of cell changes can be treated to prevent the development of cancer.

Statistics from Victoria University’s Faculty of Health showed that Māori women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer than non-Māori women, and two-and-a-half times more likely to die from it.

According to The Ministry of Health/Manatū Hauora, about 160 people develop cervical cancer in New Zealand each year, and about 50 die from it.

The Smear Your Mea campaign encourages women and people with cervixes aged between 25 and 69 to undergo regular cervical screening every three years.

Screening takes about 10 minutes and can be done by making an appointment at GP clinics, and at community health services such as Anamata in Taupō and Tūwharetoa Health in Tūrangi. Testing is usually free for Māori and Pasifika people.

From July this year, there will also be the option to self-test at home.

Miraka chairman Kingi Smiler said the cause was in tune with the Māori-owned company’s core values.

“Miraka is an international business established, funded and operated by a workforce which includes a large number of wāhine.”

“Cervical cancer remains one of the most common forms of cancer, particularly among our wāhine Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand.”

To raise awareness of the Smear Your Mea campaign, a group of 17 cyclists will ride from Wellington to Auckland next month, ending at Te Matatini Kapa Haka Festival on February 21.

Long cycle journeys have become a big part of the Smear Your Mea campaign, with the first taking place four years ago. The idea came from Morrison, but she was too unwell to take part.

Friends and family “took her mauri” with them to complete the ride on her behalf, Flavell said.

Flavell said he was grateful to sponsors like Miraka for supporting the cycle journey.

The riders include friends and family of Talei Morrison, as well as others who have experienced cancer in their families.

The cyclists will be accompanied by a drop-in mobile testing clinic which will stop in Taupō on February 17 and Tokoroa on February 18.

Miraka CEO Karl Gradon said they welcomed the opportunity to assist during these local stops.

“Miraka will provide extra support beyond our financial sponsorship. We’ll help raise local awareness about cervical cancer and the importance of early screening.”