Seriously, you need to wear sunscreen
The return of tanning, the anniversary of the Queen St riots, the food of grief and more
Kia ora and welcome to The Weekend with Madeleine Chapman
It is officially summer. And it is officially hot. Typically, I love the first few days of summer, when the chill in the wind turns into a pleasant breeze. But there's been a sad and necessary evolution in my feelings about long summer days lately.
As a kid, summer was my favourite season by far. It meant school holidays, Christmas, warm weather (though growing up in Wellington it never felt genuinely hot) and lots of sun. Moving to Auckland and getting older, the last few years have brought with them a bleak and opposite reaction. Summer means all those other things still, but now it also means sweating 100% of the time, feeling lethargic and being hit with the scary reality that every year it is hotter earlier and what that might mean for everyone in 10, 20, 30 years time.
And on top of it all: sunburn.
I have worn sunscreen my whole life. At first, it was reluctantly. I played cricket and loved biking and being outside, and was always being told by the responsible adults to put on sunscreen. I never railed against it, it was just an annoying thing to have to do when I was trying to run into the ocean. This means, like most New Zealanders, I have experienced some really bad sunburn. That deep heat that feels like you could burn someone else with it. Then the peeling (so gross) and the eventual return to a healthy skin layer with the promise to not forget your back again when applying sunscreen.
It's been years since I've experienced such sunburn, and if I can help it, I never will again. Now, I wear sunscreen on my face virtually every day of the year (it should be literally every day but on rainy winter days, I often lapse). As soon as it's sunny and I'm getting my pins out, I do the full body lotion. When my partner looks like she's about to go swimming without putting on sunscreen, I nag her about it in the same way the people in drink driving ads nag their mates about doing the right thing.
It's 2024 and we live in New Zealand where the sun is particularly harsh, surely everyone knows now that sunscreen is a non-negotiable. Surely? Apparently not. When it was pitched in our editorial meeting this week that someone should write a PSA about wearing sunscreen this summer, about half of my colleagues started talking about the best ways to get a tan. They were all young – not much younger than me but in this conversation I felt suddenly ancient and crotchety.
I didn't have the stats on hand to yell at them but here they are:
New Zealand has the highest rate of melanoma death in the world
Our sun is particularly dangerous due to low pollution, positioning to the sun and a lovely ozone hole
It can take only a few minutes of sun exposure to cause damage to your skin in summer
The damage is both long-term and superficial. Skin damage can lead to all sorts of future complications, the most obvious being skin cancer. And for the vain (which is all of us, let's not lie), it speeds up the development of fine lines, wrinkles and blemishes. There's just no reason not to wear sunscreen. The fact that we live in one of the most dangerous countries in the world when it comes to the sun makes it all the more concerning that so many of us, especially the young, still rush towards the sun. Sure, we all are young and foolish and learn lessons the hard way (as Alex Casey frighteningly detailed in her feature on teenagers tanning this week) but if you're an adult and still opt out of wearing sunscreen in a New Zealand summer, what are you doing?!
The most common excuse is that it feels and smells yuck. This is true, but that's why there's a whole billion-dollar beauty industry out there vying for your attention. Shop around and find the ones that don't. They'll be more expensive, but they could also save your life, so consider it an investment.
This week it has suddenly become summer. Like, don't even consider wearing long pants kind of weather. So as you rearrange your wardrobe and prepare to bask in the hot sun, please spare a thought for your largest organ and wear sunscreen. And if you see me buying a $130 designer sunhat this weekend, don't say a word. It has a wide brim and a drawstring, fits my huge head and is an investment in my health, thank you very much.
This week on Behind the Story: The Year in Review - Live from Wellington
Last month, senior writer at The Spinoff Anna Rawhiti-Connell was joined on stage at the Hannah Playhouse by Wellington editor Joel MacManus and special guests RNZ's Charlotte Cook and Billy T nominee Maria Williams to review the year.
They jumped backwards into the year’s headlines, political dramas, and some of the best Spinoff yarns. Listen to the recording of this Spinoff Live event for a smattering of karaoke, a Ray Gun reveal, a vote on whether Wellington was "brat", predictions for next year, and some spicy takes about the year's big moments.
Join us for the Auckland Year in Review, live at Q Theatre, on Wednesday, December 11, with Anna Rawhiti-Connell, Dr Emma Wehipeihana and Hayden Donnell.
The future of The Spinoff depends on its audience
As many of you will have seen, we published an open letter last week outlining the financial situation we find ourselves in. Only 2% of our audience financially supports us. Doubling that number is our last, best shot at retaining the ability to carry on doing what we do. To those who have already supported us, we thank you. If you can and haven't yet, please become a member or donate today.
‘Really dangerous’: The TikTok UV tanning trend that has made it to Aotearoa
It begins like any other bit of TikTok beauty advice, delivered from a grey bedroom with a framed Gucci logo on the wall, somewhere in the depths of the United States. “Hey guys,” a young woman named Sydney says, ponytail slick and fine gold jewellery gleaming. “It’s that time of year again: it’s tanning season.” She clasps her hands together, revealing a squared-off French tip manicure, ready to deliver her sermon on how to tan “better, faster, and easier!!!”
Our senior staff writer Alex Casey takes a look at how the latest tanning trend is influencing New Zealand teenagers, as they plan their days and weeks around the UV index. Meanwhile, one expert says “It could end up costing people their lives for the sake of a tan.”
The Year in Review at Q Theatre in Auckland
After a sold-out night in Wellington, senior writer Anna Rawhiti-Connell will again take a running jump backward into the year’s biggest headlines, political dramas and Spinoff yarns at Q Theatre on December 11. Award-winning writer and podcaster Dr Emma Wehipeihana and Spinoff alum Hayden Donnell will join her live on stage. Come along for a night of easy laughs to wrap up this crazy year.
Booze, brawls, batons and blood: The Queen Street riot, 40 years on
It’s been 40 years since a free concert in Aotea Square descended into chaos. Gabi Lardies has picked open the scab, talking to people who were there and digging through old archives to bring you a play-by-play, complete with stunning photos, of that boiling hot day in 1984.
The Spinoff Essay: What I ate while I grieved
On her husband’s anniversary, Denise Irvine reflects on Pākekā funeral catering. Given her age of 75, she has attended a lot of funerals and eaten quite a few pastries and asparagus rolls. Though Pākehā don’t have a base camp like marae, or the tradition of dedicated ringawera in the kitchen, they improvise. Out of kitchens come world-famous-in-Aotearoa uncomplicated stuff with love and comfort.
The stories Spinoff readers spent the most time with this week
Tara Ward takes a journey through the 26 times Luxon said ‘what I say to you is’ on Q+A
Alex Casey digs into the dangerous TikTok UV tanning trend that has made it to Aotearoa
Shanti Mathias asks why bikes can’t go on buses in New Zealand
Anna Rawhiti-Connell returns to her hometown to review and rank all 4.8 malls in Hamilton
Toby Manhire introduces us to James Meager, the man left holding the treaty principles bill. You can also listen to Toby’s interview with Meager on Gone by Lunchtime.
Recommended reads for your weekend
Former underage gig-goers Gabi Lardies and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith review Double Whammy’s first all-ages gig
Speaking of, books editor Claire Mabey has an alternative summer reading list for the PM. Spoiler: Her list includes women and alpacas
Former Marsden Fund chair Juliet Gerrard writes that without humanities and social sciences, the pie crumbles. For background, I recommend Shanti Mathias’ explainer on the Marsden Fund changes
With a rubbish heap of recent plastic headlines, Shanti Mathias explains what progress has been made – and how much further we have to go
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith investigates whether Gumboot Friday can provide $24m worth of counselling sessions in four years
Jennifer Shields asks why the public is being consulted on gender-affirming care when it affects only a small minority
Should you tell an old friend you quietly fell in love with them years ago? Hera Lindsay Bird has an unequivocal answer. No!
Henry Cooke unravels Labour’s long win on defence policy thanks to a declassified conversation between George Bush and Jim Bolger in 1991
In this week’s Cost of Being, a 41-year-old GM who’s moved back into the whānau shares her approach to spending and saving
Reader feedback of the week
“I love this article. I went for my regular screening a couple of weeks ago. The service I received? Exactly the same kind, respectful, professional, efficient service as the one you describe here, from when the team contacted me to when I got my follow-up letter (all clear, thankfully). I am very grateful for this free service and for the wonderful people who run it so very well. Kate”
“Rank the three separate but mashed together malls in Dunedin, you cowards”
“Hear hear! While I use Spotify for background work music and finding new artists, I make sure I spend money on new vinyl and attending local artists' gigs. You can buy 10 tickets to The Veils next year at the Hollywood for one ticket to Coldplay.”
Thanks for reading. Seee you next week.