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Crop Solutions New Zealand

BASF returns with the Safety Champs programme to promote sun safety to kids living on farms

  • Free Safety Champs packs of 2024 promote sun safety and instils habits that can prevent skin cancer
  • Safety Champs helps parents and caregivers facilitate conversations about farm safety with children in a fun and educational way 

Auckland, New Zealand - September 16 2024 - BASF New Zealand is set to launch its 2024 Safety Champs Programme, providing a fun and interactive way to make farms safer for children. With this year’s theme of sun safety, the programme promotes awareness of sun protection for children growing up on farms. 

Skin cancer, including melanoma, is the most common form cancer in New Zealand and accounts for an estimated 80% of all new cancers identified each year1. Increasing awareness of skin cancer is crucial for children growing up on farms, where they are often exposed to the sun for extended periods. Educating kids about sun safety not only protects their health but also instils habits that can prevent skin cancer. This ensures that our future generation of farmers work safely and healthily. 

The Safety Champs packs have been designed to support parents and caregivers in facilitating conversations with kids about the importance of sun protection. The fun and educational safety pack comes in a re-usable drawstring bag and includes:

  • An explorer bucket hat
  • Printable safety-themed activities
  • A farm safety pledge for families to complete together
  • An official BASF Safety Champs certificate

“The majority of farms are not just busy workplaces, but family homes with the presence of kids just like urban homes,” said Parvana Wali, Head of Agricultural Solutions for BASF in Australia and New Zealand. 
“To build awareness of farm safety at an early age, BASF developed and supports the Safety Champs programme for our farming community. This year, we are focusing on sun protection. By educating children about the risks of sun exposure and the importance of sun safety, we aim to prevent the sun related hazards to ensure these kids grow up in a safer, healthier, and more enjoyable farm environment,” she added.
BASF first launched the Safety Champs Programme in New Zealand in 2022. Since then, the programme has been expanded to Australia with over 1,000 Safety Champ packs distributed across both countries. 
To find out more about the Safety Champs programme in New Zealand or to order a Safety Champs pack for your child, visit https://crop-solutions.basf.co.nz/safetychampsnz. Do be quick, our free packs are available while stocks last.

About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division
Everything we do, we do for the love of farming. Farming is fundamental to provide enough healthy and affordable food for a rapidly growing population, while reducing environmental impacts. That’s why we are working with partners and experts to integrate sustainability criteria into all business decisions. With €900 million in 2023, we continue to invest in a strong R&D pipeline, combining innovative thinking with practical action in the field. Our solutions are purpose-designed for different crop systems. Connecting seeds and traits, crop protection products, digital tools and sustainability approaches, to help deliver the best possible outcomes for farmers, growers and our other stakeholders along the value chain. With teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we do everything in our power to build a sustainable future for agriculture. In 2023, our division generated sales of €10.1 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or our social media channels.  
About BASF in Australia and New Zealand
BASF serves key industries in the agriculture, coatings, manufacturing and mining sectors, and posted sales of about €441 million in Australia and New Zealand in 2023. As of the end of 2023, the company had 370 employees and operated 6 production sites across Agricultural Solutions, performance products and functional materials and solutions. BASF has been active in Australia for over 100 years, and about 60 years in New Zealand. Further information is available on www.basf.com/au.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €68.9 billion in 2023. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.