The Maori spokesperson for Men's Health Week is warning young tane need to be more proactive when it comes to checking for testicular cancer.
The awareness week kicked off today with a focus on the disease.
Joe Stafford, a testicular cancer survivor, said young Maori had the highest mortality rate in the world and needed to take more notice of its symptoms.
Mr Stafford said those between the ages of 15 and 28 were the most affected.
"There are a whole range of mitigating factors that can be applied to that, but to me what makes me so sad and angry at the same time is that out of all cancers testicular cancer is the most curable if caught early," he said.
"So that tells me that symptoms aren't being acknowledged by our young tane."
