Charity works to raise awareness and support those affected by asbestos

The current chair and co-founder of the Mesothelioma Support & Asbestos Awareness Trust (MSAA), Terri-Ann Berry, is pushing to raise awareness about asbestos exposure and its consequences. Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive form of cancer caused only by asbestos; other conditions include lung cancer and asbestosis, which is non-cancerous. The organisation received charity status in 2019 and Ms Berry has been chair ever since. She said diagnosis of asbestos-related conditions had been on the rise since the 1980s and was especially prevalent in the trades sector. “There’s lots of research that says trades are one of the highest risk groups for asbestos-related disease.” Lack of awareness in trades, but also in the public sector, had been a major issue for New Zealand, she said. “If you look at research from Australia, they’re now identifying a lot more asbestos-related disease related to DIY activities.” Many members of the public she encountered were unaware that asbestos was still an issue, she said. “People think that it’s something that impacted our grandparents but no longer impacts us — it’s still in our buildings, not every building but enough that we need to check.” In November, Kmart play sand had a mass recall due to containing asbestos, something that Ms Berry said pushed the seriousness of the material back into the mainstream. “We had lots of people come to us and just ask for support and that’s what we try to do as much as we can; we’re only tiny.” The import of asbestos to New Zealand was banned in 2016, which she described as “relatively late”. Raising awareness is one of MSAA’s goals, and people like Invercargill local Andrew Winder are key to showing the continued prevalence of asbestos. After working as an electrician for most of his life, Mr Winder was diagnosed with mesothelioma last year. He had said there was no training or guidelines for how to deal with asbestos, which was common, Ms Berry said. “We hear that all the time … we taught asbestos awareness at a trade school once and a young boy told me that he went into a house and was told to drill through a ceiling. He had some understanding about the risks and told his boss he didn’t want to. “His boss said ‘we don’t have time for this, just do it’.” She wanted everyone to be able to speak up — if people had “better awareness”, then they would be able to do that, she said. “I would like to hope that [MSAA] has been able to give people impacted a voice, we’ve been to Parliament to talk about asbestos on a number of occasions.” Her charity helps people affected by asbestos-related diseases feel a sense of community and connection through nationwide morning teas, quizzes, fundraisers and awareness days. She wanted to see a dedicated, funded group that provided advice and support to government agencies, businesses and industries. “I think we could do with a group like that which can give one consistent message.” A group like that could also open the door for better engagement and awareness, she said. “What makes mesothelioma unique is that it’s completely avoidable.” tayler.mutton@alliedmedia.co.nz

Charity works to raise awareness and support those affected by asbestos

South Island man given home detention over child exploitation images

Tech titan ordered to pay wife more than $1bn in divorce settlement

Officer shot, man found dead after standoff in Queensland

Green Party determined to return to government benches

Erika Fairweather wins NZ's first medal at 2026 Commonwealth Games