Giant turtle sharing SunSmart message with Horowhenua tamariki

Cancer Society's SunSmart message is important for all our tamariki - St Joseph's Primary School in Levin enjoyed a visit from Sasha Stevenson and her sidekick Undercover Cody. Photo / Nikki Carroll

Forget the teenage mutant ninja turtles ... Cancer Society NZ has Undercover Cody, a life-size cartoon turtle character who helps share SunSmart messages with schools and kindergartens.

Sasha Stevenson, a health promoter for the Manawatū branch of the Cancer Society, has been travelling through the Tararua, Manawatū and Horowhenua regions with the SunSmart roadshow.

"The roadshow is particularly aimed at junior students," Stevenson said, "Undercover Cody is very friendly and relatable to this age."

The focus of the SunSmart message is about protecting our skin and eyes from damaging UV radiation when outdoors, especially between September and April.

Undercover Cody's got all the dance moves when it comes to performing the Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap song - the Cancer Society's SunSmart message for tamariki. Photo / Nikki Carroll

Stevenson and her sidekick Cody entertained the children with a short, interactive piece about going to play at the park and the four steps to take before going out in the sun:

Slip on a shirt
Slop on sunscreen
Slap on a hat
Wrap on sunglasses.

"The schools involved in the roadshow get sent a pack before the visit which includes posters, a picture book and a CD of the Slip, Slop, Slap, Wrap song ... so Undercover Cody is already famous before he arrives," Stevenson said.

The SunSmart turtle has been helping out the Cancer Society in Waikato for nearly a decade - this year is the first time he has ventured out of that region to meet new tamariki.

The Cancer Society's SunSmart Roadshow facilitator, Sasha Stevenson with her sidekick Undercover Cody at St Joseph's Primary School, Levin. Photo / Nikki Carroll.

Students from St Joseph's Primary School in Levin were excited to meet Undercover Cody and hear his message.

Principal Maria Lyne said it was a good opportunity to reinforce the school's policy of how to keep safe in the sun.

With the dangerous UV hours from late spring to early autumn having increased over the years from 11am-3pm to 10am-4pm, Stevenson believes it is more important than ever to find a way to engage with the younger members of our communities.

"Every year over 90,000 skin cancers are diagnosed in New Zealand, with more than 2000 of these being melanoma ... more than 90 per cent of those diagnoses could have been prevented or numbers reduced if the SunSmart steps were followed," said Stevenson.