Mount Maunganui UV Index sign needs repairs after showing level of 18

The UV meter at Mount Maunganui Main Beach on January 9 put the index at 18. Photo / Alex Cairns

A sign warning of ultraviolet radiation well above the “extreme” threshold in jam-packed holiday hotspot Mount Maunganui yesterday seems to be no cause for alarm.

Tauranga City Council says the UV meter - a New Zealand-first when it was installed off Mount Maunganui’s Main Beach in 2017 – needs repairing.

It comes as the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research’s (Niwa) just-released climate summary showed 2023 was New Zealand’s second-warmest in recorded history.

The Mount sign was built to display a real-time UV index reading, with a scale showing what that meant and how people should protect themselves from sunburn, the Bay of Plenty Times previously reported.

The UV index is a measure of the intensity of the UV radiation produced by the sun. The larger the number, the more intense the UV and sunburn risk.

According to Niwa’s website, values of 10 or more should be considered “extreme”.

It said too much exposure to UV radiation can cause sunburn, premature ageing, and increase the risk of skin cancer.

What the Mount Maunganui UV index sign says

In Mount Maunganui, the UV index sign says a UV rating between one and two means “no protection required”.

Three to seven means “protection required” and at eight to 11+ people should “find shade”.

The Bay of Plenty Times photographed the sign with a reading of 18 on Tuesday.

The UV meter at Mount Maunganui Main Beach on January 9. Photo / Alex Cairns

A council spokesman said the team had been out on Wednesday morning and it appeared “the UV mechanism needs replacing”.

“We’re unsure how long that will take as this is supplied by a company in Australia and in the meantime we are going to remove the unit.”

Niwa meteorologist Dr Richard Turner said Niwa did not have a UV sensor in Tauranga but estimated the UV index in Tauranga on Tuesday would have been about 12 or 13 – “typical for this peak time of year”.

“These levels are classed as extreme, so sun protection is very important and advice would be to stay in the shade.”

Official advice from the World Meteorological Organisation was that “extra protection” was needed, Turner said.

“Be careful outside, especially during late morning through mid-afternoon, seek shade and wear protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses, and generously apply a minimum of SPF-15, broad-spectrum sunscreen on exposed skin.”

Turner said 18 was an “extreme value” of UV and if it occured “needless to say, people would sunburn very quickly without protection”.

“Currently, peak UV in places like Fiji and Rarotonga [is] around 14-15 – which is also classified as extreme.”

In September, Niwa predicted the ozone hole would stay around longer than usual this summer, “potentially lasting into early summer”.

Turner said on Wednesday ozone levels around the country were about 280 dobson units which was also typical for this time of year.

Niwa's forecast for the UV index in Tauranga for Wednesday shows a maximum of 12.8. Graphic / Niwa

The UV index meter at Mount Maunganui was the idea of Skinspots founder and MoleMap chief medical officer New Zealand Dr Franz Strydom.

Strydom told the Bay of Plenty Times he paid for the sign to be set up and “gifted” it to the council, which maintained it.

He said UV starts “as soon as the sun comes up” and progressively gets worse.

“It grows exponentially until the peak period which is normally about 12pm to 2pm depending on the time of year and then it drops again exponentially afterwards.”

Strydom said this was a “really dangerous” part of the day.

“People shouldn’t be outside at that time and if they are, they should be completely covered up.”

He said he had a “bit of a bugbear” with sporting events being held in peak UV hours.

“They should be organised for the early mornings or late afternoons so people don’t have to be in the sun.”

This week Tauranga mother Rachael Pratt shared her story about her melanoma diagnosis and advised people to “get checked” if they had a mole they were unsure about.

Additional reporting - Samantha Motion

Sun Smart tips from the Cancer Society

• Slip on a shirt - with long sleeves. Fabrics with a tighter weave and darker colours will give you better protection from the sun.
• Slip into the shade - of an umbrella or a leafy tree. If you can, plan your outdoor activities for early or later in the day when the sun’s UV levels are lower. Usually before 10am and after 4pm.
• Slop on sunscreen - plenty of UVA/UVB broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of at least SPF 30 that complies with the AS/NZS 2604:2012 Sunscreen Standard. Apply 20 minutes before going outside and reapply every two hours and especially after being in water or sweating.
• Slap on a hat - wear a hat with a wide brim or a cap with flaps. More people are sunburned on the face and neck than any other part of the body.
• Wrap on sunglasses - choose close-fitting, wrap-around style sunglasses. Not all sunglasses protect against UV radiation, so always check the label for the sun protection rating.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.