Now dealing with a rare, aggressive cancer, former electrical apprentice Andrew Winder wants tradies and DIYers to be better informed about the deadly dust that, a decade after its ban, continues to linger in our homes. Mava Moayyed reports.
Andrew Winder has sarcomatoid mesothelioma, the least common but most aggressive form of a cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
“This is preventable,” says the 49-year-old. “I don’t want anyone else to be struck down by this horrible disease.”
In his early twenties, Winder began an electrical apprenticeship in Invercargill, where he still lives. One of his early jobs was upgrading old switchboards, which meant drilling into the dark mounting panels behind them.
Those panels contained asbestos. He had no idea.
“I drilled hundreds of them,” he says. “I know there’s a lot of people out there that will say it’s common sense, but it’s only common sense if you know what materials have asbestos in them.”
Hazards were never discussed, he says. “We never had any health and safety meeting about hazards. We were taught to get in there, get the job done as quickly and as efficiently as possible, and get out.”
Hundreds continue to die
WorkSafe estimates asbestos kills around 220 New Zealanders a year, making it the country’s leading cause of work-related death.
Since 2005, ACC has accepted more than 3,200 asbestos-related claims and paid out more than $320 million.
Data supplied to 1News shows last year ACC paid out $25 million on asbestos-related claims, the most in two decades – and at least another decade of hefty payouts is expected.
A ‘miracle material’ with a deadly catch
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral extracted and used by humans for thousands of years. Archaeologists have even found traces of it in Stone Age pottery.
It was in the late 19th century, when large-scale mining took off, that manufacturers began promoting it as a miracle material. It ended up in everything from ironing boards and curtains to the walls and ceilings of homes.
Associate Professor Terri-Ann Berry, an asbestos expert, says it’s easy to see why.
“It’s incredibly strong, it’s heat proof, it’s great for soundproofing, it’s relatively cheap to mine, and it’s pretty plentiful.”
The warning signs that asbestos was dangerous came as early as 1930 when a British government report linked asbestos dust to serious lung disease in factory workers. By the early 1960s, studies had tied it to lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Yet asbestos stayed in widespread use for further decades.
New Zealand banned imports of all asbestos and asbestos products in 2016. By then, Berry says, it was already through much of the country’s building stock. “We imported such a lot in the sort of 70s, 80s,” she said.
The danger is in the dust
WorkSafe says buildings in New Zealand built or renovated before 2000 are likely to contain asbestos. Buildings after that are less likely, but there is still a chance.
Berry says asbestos that’s left intact and well looked after is lower risk. Her own house has asbestos cladding, which she keeps painted and sealed, and she warns any tradespeople not to drill into it or water-blast it.
The danger comes when it’s disturbed. The fibres are microscopic, invisible to the naked eye.
“You’re not just releasing one fibre. You’re releasing hundreds of thousands of fibres. If you inhale them, they go down into your lungs, and because they’re so tiny, they can get down really deep into the lungs. Once they’re there, it’s very difficult for your body to get rid of them.”
The fibres can also migrate and damage the lining of the body’s organs. Cancer in that lining is known as malignant mesothelioma, which Berry says has a very poor prognosis.
The health conditions linked to asbestos exposure develop over a long period, typically 15 to 40 years.
The more you’re exposed, the greater the risk, but no level of exposure is known to be safe. WorkSafe says even one heavy exposure can cause health problems years later.
‘I never even knew this cancer existed’
In 2020, Winder developed severe chest pain and difficulty breathing.
After dozens of tests and biopsies he was diagnosed with sarcomatoid mesothelioma in June last year.
“I never even knew this cancer existed," he says. "Never knew the name. Never heard of it before.”
Winder was told sarcomatoid mesothelioma doesn’t usually respond to chemotherapy or radiation, leaving immunotherapy as his only option. ACC funded about 15 months of it.
But a scan earlier this month showed the cancer is progressing, and the immunotherapy has been stopped.
He and his family are now weighing their options, including unfunded drugs that could give him a few more months.
Winder's great frustration is how preventable it all could have been. “If I knew, if there was awareness. That’s the first thing. But I guess I just felt in myself, I felt I let myself down.”
His wife of 24 years, Cherie, struggles to put the toll into words.
“He was supporting us as a family. It makes me feel terrible because that’s what your husband does, is to support. If I’d known, I would have made him get out of the industry.”
The family have leaned on their faith. “It’s not in our hands. It’s in the Lord’s hands,” Winder said. “I’ve found peace.”
The training gap
Employers have legal duties to identify and manage asbestos risks and protect workers from exposure and can face legal action if they don’t.
WorkSafe told 1News it took eight asbestos-related prosecutions between 2022 and 2024, five of which ended in convictions. It has filed one asbestos-related charge since then, and that case is still before the courts.
But Winder says a crucial gap remains before tradies even enter the workforce. “If the awareness starts at that point, then people know what to look for.”
Asbestos training is part of some trade qualifications, but not all. That sits mainly with the eight new Industry Skills Boards, several of which told 1News they’d add it if industry wanted it.
Master Electricians, which represents the electrical industry, told 1News it's qualifications process was under review. "Which makes this an ideal time to consider whether topics such as asbestos awareness should form part of the qualification and broader industry training requirements,” a representative said.
DIYers at risk too
It’s not just tradies. Berry is especially concerned about DIY jobs involving power drills and power tools, which can release large amounts of fibres.
“Remember that it moves around, so if you’ve got children or you’ve got other family members in the home, you’re also exposing them.”
Many people assume asbestos is only found in roofs and walls, but it can turn up in vinyl flooring, window panels, gutters, hot water cupboards and even toilet seats. Experts have identified 23 places in a typical home which may contain asbestos.
Berry’s advice is simple: “Check before you chop.”
She recommends calling in an expert, who can take samples safely, have them analysed and draw up a plan setting out what can and can’t be disturbed.
Recently, asbestos turned up somewhere few expected. In November 2025, coloured play sand sold in New Zealand tested positive for asbestos, after it was first detected by an Australian laboratory.
More than 40 schools and early learning centres temporarily closed as a precaution, and some racked up thousands of dollars in decontamination costs.
The Government has recently issued an unsafe goods notice. From February 1, 2027, toys for children under 14 that contain sand must be tested and shown to be asbestos-free before they can be sold in New Zealand.
The notice will be in place for 18 months while MBIE looks at longer-term options. A current list of recalled sand products is on the Product Safety New Zealand website.
‘A ripple into a wave’
Winder said New Zealand has “a really blasé attitude” towards asbestos, and he wants a nationwide campaign, including TV advertising, to warn people about the risks in their homes.
“That’s the reach. That’s something that we can’t do alone. It costs money.”
His daughters, Hannah and Alyssa, say his campaigning is no surprise.
“He’s the type of person to think about other people before himself,” says Hannah.
Alyssa wants people to take the issue seriously. “It’s breaking people mentally and emotionally. I would hate to have more people experience what we’ve been experiencing.”
Asked how she’d like her dad remembered, Hannah says: “Just the man that stood up for what he believes in.”
Winder has been humbled by the support he's received since sharing his story.
“Awareness will not change the past, but it absolutely will change the future. I’m grateful that a little old guy from Invercargill can turn a ripple into a wave.”
For more information about asbestos, or for support, visit the Mesothelioma Support Aotearoa Trust at msaatrust.org.nz or WorkSafe at worksafe.govt.nz.
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