June 10, 2025 • 10 mins
This week is Men's Health Week, a week dedicated to raising awareness of the health struggles men face.
Every day, eight Kiwi families lose a much-loved partner, father, brother or grandfather to a preventable disease.
Even worse - one in four Kiwi men won’t live to retirement age.
Men's Health Week ambassador and broadcaster Mark Sainsbury joined Nick Mills to talk about the week of awareness.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from news Talk said b.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Tell us Men's Health Winks, a week dedicated to raising
awareness for men to check their health. I'm just putting
my hand down my pants right now. Every day eight
key we families lose a much love partner, father, brother,
or grandfather to preventable disease one they didn't need to
die from on that particular day. Even worse, one in
(00:50):
four key we men don't live to retirement age. Joining
us now is broadcaster and Men's Health Week's ambassador Mark Sainsbury. Mark,
good morning, Good morning.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Nick, Hey, and listen, there is a good idea to
put your hand down your pants occasionally check yourself.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Well yeah, that's going a little bit too fat. What
about in the shower?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Yeah, well look wherever. The whole thing about why we
do the awareness campaign is just to get guys to
be thinking about their health, all sorts of things, testicular health.
But you know what we eat, do we get in
the exercise, all that sort of stuff. And we're not
saying change your life overnight, but we're saying, you know,
take small steps, start doing things you hadn't done before.
(01:34):
Like your skin. When did you have your skin last check?
And that can actually save lives as well.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Mark, It's interesting. I've had two very minor operations on
my groin with little lumps, and both times I thought, gosh,
this is that I've got a lump, and I've gone
in trouble, you know, really got scared, went to the GP,
went to the specialist. There were little lumps. They got
taken out under surgery. You know, it doesn't mean it's
bad if you find a lump, does it.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
No, that's right, that's right. And look and the relief
you must have felt when you actually know what's happening,
you know, apart from the fear of what's happening.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Why are men so bad? I've talked to you about
this before. Why are so many men so bad at
checking their health? Now I've just done your tests, which
I will give it.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
What what what?
Speaker 2 (02:19):
What was your score?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
By the way, thirty four?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Okay as a high as higher the better or lower the.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Better, love the better.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Okay, I beat you? But that's all right?
Speaker 3 (02:32):
How bad?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
How bad are qui men about keeping your health?
Speaker 3 (02:36):
In chet? It's like a lot of things. It's the
old stereotyped of the stoic key. We we don't talk
about our feelings. And you know, if you think something's wrong,
just ignore, you know, take a concrete pill and it'll
go away. And that's a big problem. And so many
of the things that you know, this we're all about
preventable deaths. So many of the things can easily be
(02:57):
dealt with. It's like the prostate cancer, you know, I
mean most of us will die with prostate cancer, not
of it, but it's something that can be managed. But
it's just getting guys and now there's so much more focus.
If you like. Suicide is another preventable death, which is
one of the big ones. It really is that. You know.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I was talking to a surgeon a few months ago,
a couple of months ago, and he said the most
important thing was to get the old you know, finger
up the backside and the and the actual test where
they put the tube up your backside. Now, I had
one of those once. You would have had one of those.
They're not that bad on the yep. What are they
called colonoscopy? That's what I called you. Yeah, have you
(03:39):
had one?
Speaker 3 (03:40):
Yep? Yep? And I remember this doctor, it was old
Dave Velven. Remember it used to be the Rugby doctor,
this beautiful guy, but I'm him saying, you know years ago, look,
go and get the thing done. It's the one procedure
that can actually foretell what's going to be happening, or
you know, because you know you can. It's a really
(04:00):
good thing to do. Expensive if you don't get it
through the health system. But we also say just little things.
See like people go to our website means healthweek dot
co dot nz. We've got a thing that watch a score.
You've just done that. You know, anyone listening can do
their own one.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Why I mean, yeah, I mean, okay, I'm going to
give you. I'm going to give you my score. My
score was thirty two.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
That's great. That's a really good score, is it? Yeah, yep.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I feel pretty damn healthy. You know, I'm on blood
pressure medication. I don't mind admitting to that to keep
my blood pressure down. Having a job like this and
a producer like Ethan, I need. I need that medication
just to keep me giving me at work.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Well, I was on blood pressure meds and then after
I lost some weight, came off them.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Did you really huge difference? Yeah, couldn't because they always
tell you once you go on them. That's another thing.
They always tell you you've never come up. Yeah, Ethan
just said something nasty in my ear by the way mark.
That's why I went quiet for a second.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Listen Sternley's the following. I think neck did Ethan do
the test?
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Of course? You know what has came up with? A
red I don't know, red thing flashing? What does that mean?
A computer crash? The computer crash? What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Yeah, seek help immediately, I think, yeah, you know, And
we're not into lecturing. I mean, the whole point of
the whole you know, the watch your score is we're
not lecturing it. Everything is designed to prompt people into
doing something, you know, and that's the thing. We're not lecturing.
We're not judging, but we're just saying, hey, we've got
to think about men's health, you know, just for one
(05:33):
week of the year, you know, for one week at least,
we can sort of focus on that, and you know,
a competition with women's health.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
You know what. I'm making a little bit jovialness out
of it, but it's a very very serious thing. Men's
health are very very singile. So I don't think we
do it. Do take it seriously enough?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Do we? No? I mean, we don't even have a
men's health policy. Like I'm not turning into a policy wonk.
But you know, Mongolia is a men's health policy. You know,
just about every other country does. And the purpose of
that is there's lots of things. When men health improves,
it affects other things as well.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
And I have I have it wasn't that expensive, ninety
nine dollars, eighty nine dollars. I've had it for about
five years of blood blood pressure machine at home and
once a week I just checked my own blood pressure
and you know, it's pretty damn good. Sometimes. You know,
what about mental health? Mart What can we do in
mental health? We talked about that this morning. We our
numbers are statistics, suicide statistics are terrible.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Yeah. One of the big things one that one of
the small things that we can do is just talk
to our mates. You know, I just think of someone
who you know who say you're pretty sore, been through
a bit of a hard time and you haven't talked
to in age? Is gonn maring this week? You know,
be a mate because that's the thing. It's it's it's
that people bottling it up and it's but terrible for
(06:54):
that terrible, terrible, terrible, and the outcomes are just you know,
so you know, and it's it is. It is incredibly tough.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Yeah, I was. I'll tell you the story because it
was a very good friend of mine, very very good
friend of mine rang me said, Nick, if you've got
ten minutes for a coffee? And I was painting my
office at the time, and I said, sorry, buddy, can
we do it tomorrow? You know, I want to finish
painting my office. And six point thirty the next morning,
another friend of mine rang me to say that my
(07:24):
friend that wanted to have a coffee with me the
day before had taken his own life. And I I
remember that. I remember that to this day. Every it's
not a week that goes past it. I wait, I say,
was it that important when someone rings you up and
asks for a coffee? Was it that important to carry
on painting my office? Or should have I gone? Now
it's very easy for me to beat myself up about it,
(07:45):
but I do and I always will.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Yeah. Well, well, I mean, of course you shouldn't but
but but yeah, you can't help it. That is. It's
that when something I happened, does it feel so helpless?
You know, could I have done something? You know, why
didn't I see something? All those sort of things. But
it's getting the conversation going. And as I say, that's
why it's important. You know, there's lots of guys out
there who probably don't take someone they can talk to someone,
(08:11):
they can really confide it like a really good mate,
you know, or a partner, but you know someone and
that's you know, the whole mental health thing is is
and as I said, one of the biggest preventable causes
of death for males.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
That's wrong, that's wrong. We've got to be able to talk.
That's you're right about talking about. But you know, I
don't think, you know what, I don't think I've got
a male friend that I can talk to like that.
And I've got lots of good friends, but I don't know,
I think, you know, I think I've got female friends
I could talk to like about things like that. But
I don't think I've got a male friend because males
(08:47):
are so you know, like you say, take a concrete pool,
harden up, aren't they?
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Yeah, yeah, you know you're not going to get a
lot of.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Look, look, it is changing. It is. I mean it's
not as bad as say in our parents stay no hell,
so think things are. Things are starting to improve. You know.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Key key thing to do, mar give me one key
thing to do. If you don't look after your health
well enough, just.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Pick one thing, one thing to do. It's a little
improvement you can make, and then you build from that.
You know. So looks start taking a little more. Yeah,
start just thinking, well, maybe the half portion of fries
not the full, you know, just that you've got to
take those small steps and then it follows on from there.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
You know what I reckon. I reckon felt for someone
that I've always been around sport and fitness and health
and that stuff. You know, I'm not in the best
shape in the world, and I want to be in
better shape. The key to everything for me, the very
first step is exercise and a couple of press ups
and a couple of sit ups, something that actually makes
your muscles go a bit harder. That's the key to
(09:51):
it for me.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
There you go, well, I think you're one hundred percent
right on that, because for me, having the dogs, which
forces you to actually do something and it's just amazing.
What even that, you know, what a bit of just
movements and stuff, the difference it makes.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Mark says, we always got to talk to you. See
you soon on Friday, face off. We'll see you shortly,
We'll look see you again. But Mark sayings for you.
Who is a Men's Health Week ambassador. And I don't
know whether you know. Mark used to be a little
bit tiny bit weightier and he's now as skinny as
a rake and fit as a fiddle, and that he
just decided that he wanted to change his health. Good
(10:27):
on him. I keep doing that too, But I keep
doing this job, sitting on my ass excuses the other thing.
Do not make an excuse. Just get out there and
do it.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news Talks It'd Be Wellington from nine to am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from news Talk said b.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Tell us Men's Health Winks, a week dedicated to raising
awareness for men to check their health. I'm just putting
my hand down my pants right now. Every day eight
key we families lose a much love partner, father, brother,
or grandfather to preventable disease one they didn't need to
die from on that particular day. Even worse, one in
(00:50):
four key we men don't live to retirement age. Joining
us now is broadcaster and Men's Health Week's ambassador Mark Sainsbury. Mark,
good morning, Good morning.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Nick, Hey, and listen, there is a good idea to
put your hand down your pants occasionally check yourself.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Well yeah, that's going a little bit too fat. What
about in the shower?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Yeah, well look wherever. The whole thing about why we
do the awareness campaign is just to get guys to
be thinking about their health, all sorts of things, testicular health.
But you know what we eat, do we get in
the exercise, all that sort of stuff. And we're not
saying change your life overnight, but we're saying, you know,
take small steps, start doing things you hadn't done before.
(01:34):
Like your skin. When did you have your skin last check?
And that can actually save lives as well.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Mark, It's interesting. I've had two very minor operations on
my groin with little lumps, and both times I thought, gosh,
this is that I've got a lump, and I've gone
in trouble, you know, really got scared, went to the GP,
went to the specialist. There were little lumps. They got
taken out under surgery. You know, it doesn't mean it's
bad if you find a lump, does it.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
No, that's right, that's right. And look and the relief
you must have felt when you actually know what's happening,
you know, apart from the fear of what's happening.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Why are men so bad? I've talked to you about
this before. Why are so many men so bad at
checking their health? Now I've just done your tests, which
I will give it.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
What what what?
Speaker 2 (02:19):
What was your score?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
By the way, thirty four?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Okay as a high as higher the better or lower the.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Better, love the better.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Okay, I beat you? But that's all right?
Speaker 3 (02:32):
How bad?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
How bad are qui men about keeping your health?
Speaker 3 (02:36):
In chet? It's like a lot of things. It's the
old stereotyped of the stoic key. We we don't talk
about our feelings. And you know, if you think something's wrong,
just ignore, you know, take a concrete pill and it'll
go away. And that's a big problem. And so many
of the things that you know, this we're all about
preventable deaths. So many of the things can easily be
(02:57):
dealt with. It's like the prostate cancer, you know, I
mean most of us will die with prostate cancer, not
of it, but it's something that can be managed. But
it's just getting guys and now there's so much more focus.
If you like. Suicide is another preventable death, which is
one of the big ones. It really is that. You know.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I was talking to a surgeon a few months ago,
a couple of months ago, and he said the most
important thing was to get the old you know, finger
up the backside and the and the actual test where
they put the tube up your backside. Now, I had
one of those once. You would have had one of those.
They're not that bad on the yep. What are they
called colonoscopy? That's what I called you. Yeah, have you
(03:39):
had one?
Speaker 3 (03:40):
Yep? Yep? And I remember this doctor, it was old
Dave Velven. Remember it used to be the Rugby doctor,
this beautiful guy, but I'm him saying, you know years ago, look,
go and get the thing done. It's the one procedure
that can actually foretell what's going to be happening, or
you know, because you know you can. It's a really
(04:00):
good thing to do. Expensive if you don't get it
through the health system. But we also say just little things.
See like people go to our website means healthweek dot
co dot nz. We've got a thing that watch a score.
You've just done that. You know, anyone listening can do
their own one.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Why I mean, yeah, I mean, okay, I'm going to
give you. I'm going to give you my score. My
score was thirty two.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
That's great. That's a really good score, is it? Yeah, yep.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I feel pretty damn healthy. You know, I'm on blood
pressure medication. I don't mind admitting to that to keep
my blood pressure down. Having a job like this and
a producer like Ethan, I need. I need that medication
just to keep me giving me at work.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Well, I was on blood pressure meds and then after
I lost some weight, came off them.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Did you really huge difference? Yeah, couldn't because they always
tell you once you go on them. That's another thing.
They always tell you you've never come up. Yeah, Ethan
just said something nasty in my ear by the way mark.
That's why I went quiet for a second.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Listen Sternley's the following. I think neck did Ethan do
the test?
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Of course? You know what has came up with? A
red I don't know, red thing flashing? What does that mean?
A computer crash? The computer crash? What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Yeah, seek help immediately, I think, yeah, you know, And
we're not into lecturing. I mean, the whole point of
the whole you know, the watch your score is we're
not lecturing it. Everything is designed to prompt people into
doing something, you know, and that's the thing. We're not lecturing.
We're not judging, but we're just saying, hey, we've got
to think about men's health, you know, just for one
(05:33):
week of the year, you know, for one week at least,
we can sort of focus on that, and you know,
a competition with women's health.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
You know what. I'm making a little bit jovialness out
of it, but it's a very very serious thing. Men's
health are very very singile. So I don't think we
do it. Do take it seriously enough?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Do we? No? I mean, we don't even have a
men's health policy. Like I'm not turning into a policy wonk.
But you know, Mongolia is a men's health policy. You know,
just about every other country does. And the purpose of
that is there's lots of things. When men health improves,
it affects other things as well.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
And I have I have it wasn't that expensive, ninety
nine dollars, eighty nine dollars. I've had it for about
five years of blood blood pressure machine at home and
once a week I just checked my own blood pressure
and you know, it's pretty damn good. Sometimes. You know,
what about mental health? Mart What can we do in
mental health? We talked about that this morning. We our
numbers are statistics, suicide statistics are terrible.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Yeah. One of the big things one that one of
the small things that we can do is just talk
to our mates. You know, I just think of someone
who you know who say you're pretty sore, been through
a bit of a hard time and you haven't talked
to in age? Is gonn maring this week? You know,
be a mate because that's the thing. It's it's it's
that people bottling it up and it's but terrible for
(06:54):
that terrible, terrible, terrible, and the outcomes are just you know,
so you know, and it's it is. It is incredibly tough.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Yeah, I was. I'll tell you the story because it
was a very good friend of mine, very very good
friend of mine rang me said, Nick, if you've got
ten minutes for a coffee? And I was painting my
office at the time, and I said, sorry, buddy, can
we do it tomorrow? You know, I want to finish
painting my office. And six point thirty the next morning,
another friend of mine rang me to say that my
(07:24):
friend that wanted to have a coffee with me the
day before had taken his own life. And I I
remember that. I remember that to this day. Every it's
not a week that goes past it. I wait, I say,
was it that important when someone rings you up and
asks for a coffee? Was it that important to carry
on painting my office? Or should have I gone? Now
it's very easy for me to beat myself up about it,
(07:45):
but I do and I always will.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Yeah. Well, well, I mean, of course you shouldn't but
but but yeah, you can't help it. That is. It's
that when something I happened, does it feel so helpless?
You know, could I have done something? You know, why
didn't I see something? All those sort of things. But
it's getting the conversation going. And as I say, that's
why it's important. You know, there's lots of guys out
there who probably don't take someone they can talk to someone,
(08:11):
they can really confide it like a really good mate,
you know, or a partner, but you know someone and
that's you know, the whole mental health thing is is
and as I said, one of the biggest preventable causes
of death for males.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
That's wrong, that's wrong. We've got to be able to talk.
That's you're right about talking about. But you know, I
don't think, you know what, I don't think I've got
a male friend that I can talk to like that.
And I've got lots of good friends, but I don't know,
I think, you know, I think I've got female friends
I could talk to like about things like that. But
I don't think I've got a male friend because males
(08:47):
are so you know, like you say, take a concrete pool,
harden up, aren't they?
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Yeah, yeah, you know you're not going to get a
lot of.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Look, look, it is changing. It is. I mean it's
not as bad as say in our parents stay no hell,
so think things are. Things are starting to improve. You know.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Key key thing to do, mar give me one key
thing to do. If you don't look after your health
well enough, just.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Pick one thing, one thing to do. It's a little
improvement you can make, and then you build from that.
You know. So looks start taking a little more. Yeah,
start just thinking, well, maybe the half portion of fries
not the full, you know, just that you've got to
take those small steps and then it follows on from there.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
You know what I reckon. I reckon felt for someone
that I've always been around sport and fitness and health
and that stuff. You know, I'm not in the best
shape in the world, and I want to be in
better shape. The key to everything for me, the very
first step is exercise and a couple of press ups
and a couple of sit ups, something that actually makes
your muscles go a bit harder. That's the key to
(09:51):
it for me.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
There you go, well, I think you're one hundred percent
right on that, because for me, having the dogs, which
forces you to actually do something and it's just amazing.
What even that, you know, what a bit of just
movements and stuff, the difference it makes.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Mark says, we always got to talk to you. See
you soon on Friday, face off. We'll see you shortly,
We'll look see you again. But Mark sayings for you.
Who is a Men's Health Week ambassador. And I don't
know whether you know. Mark used to be a little
bit tiny bit weightier and he's now as skinny as
a rake and fit as a fiddle, and that he
just decided that he wanted to change his health. Good
(10:27):
on him. I keep doing that too, But I keep
doing this job, sitting on my ass excuses the other thing.
Do not make an excuse. Just get out there and
do it.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news Talks It'd Be Wellington from nine to am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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