Rotorua businessman’s ‘Brovember’ trip puts the focus on mates and men’s health

From left: Ric Moor, Jock McKeown, David Taui, Jason Bennett, Rangitane Harawira and Lewis Gardiner on the Fables Golf Course leg of their 'Brovember' trip.

A Rotorua business owner has added a personal touch to Movember this year, motivated to raise awareness about prioritising men’s health in the city.

David Taui had never grown a moustache or participated in Movember, an international men’s health campaign held each November.

But this year he was motivated to take part after a former schoolmate — “my brother” — was diagnosed with terminal testicular cancer.

The Damel’s Traffic Management owner-operator found a way to get involved, coming up with a “Brovember” golf trip with five friends.

“I don’t grow a moustache, and I have a confession, I’m not very good at golf,” he said.

Family commitments and a busy work schedule made spending time with friends a rare and special occasion, but Taui said the “bro time” was good for his mental health.

From left: David Taui, Jock McKeown, Lewis Gardiner, Jason Bennett, and Rangitane Harawira at Lake Tekapo Golf Course.

“A game of golf is not just a game. You can’t get better psychologists than good bros and good ears.

“We don’t judge each other no matter what and we don’t take sides,” he said.

Each of the six also donated $100 to Movember, a charity that prioritises funding for three major men’s health issues: mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in New Zealand men and testicular cancer is the most common cancer in Kiwi men under 40. In New Zealand and globally, men are more likely to die from suicide.

Brovember trip co-organiser Jason Bennett said taking time to golf with friends was a rare opportunity.

Their three-day trip included Clearwater Golf Club in Christchurch, Fable Terrace Downs Resort in Canterbury, The Cairns Golf Course at Lake Tekapo and Tai Tapu Golf Club.

For Bennett, taking time out with mates was about honouring everyone he knew who had died from cancer.

“I’ve had a bunch of people in my life that have passed from breast cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, you know lung cancer, so I think it’s something that’s probably in everybody’s lives,” Bennett said.

He would “normally grow a mo” in November to fundraise for the cause, but this year, the golf trip was about “companionship”.

David Taui organised his Brovember campaign after a friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer this year.

“It’s just having a good time with good people, and bringing awareness to different cancers.

“I doubt there are people of a certain age that haven’t lost someone through a type of cancer,” Bennett said.

Movember started in 2003 when two mates in Australia — Travis Garone and Luke Slattery — decided to try to bring moustaches back into fashion. The following year, their moustache-growing event became a fundraiser.

Movember New Zealand country manager, Robert Dunne told the Rotorua Daily Post the fundraiser had grown into a worldwide annual campaign.

“It’s kind of on the calendar, which is awesome.

“We’ve done a pretty good job around telling men some of the things they can do to help themselves and others.”

This year’s focus was creating “real behaviour change”, Dunne said.

“We’ve caught up in many regards to our female counterparts, who are probably more proactive about their health.”

Dunne said this year Movember in New Zealand especially focussed on prostate cancer among Māori men.

“Unfortunately, at times, particularly when it comes to cancers, they have to be on their knees before they get help – they’re literally on their knees in agony before they’ll go.

“We want to reverse that and make sure that they’re absolute pillars of the community and for their whanau for as long as they possibly can be,” he said.

People with busy schedules often struggled to strike a healthy work-life balance, which affected men’s mental health, Dunne said.

He said many would not take breaks on the weekend.

“They wonder why they’re cooked, you know, they wonder why they’re struggling.

Dunne said golf was a great vehicle for having a genuine conversation with friends and addressing mental health.

“You talk about golf and the good shots, the bad shots, but because you’re together for a decent amount of time, which is quite old school, you get time to have a chat and dig into a few things – time to actually knot things out a wee bit and have a decent conversation.”

Aleyna Martinez is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. She moved to the region in 2024 and has previously reported in Wairarapa and at Pacific Media Network.