UPDATED 9.00PM New Zealand has passed Australia for the highest per capita rates of invasive melanoma in the world, and it's not getting any better.

Queensland researchers have found that while Australia's melanoma rate has been falling since 2005, New Zealand's has been on the rise, and is expected to keep growing until at least 2017.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman said he's not surprised, and it doesn't change anything.

"We knew we had a high melanoma rate anyway and we've got to continue pushing those messages around prevention, covering up, making sure people are wearing sunscreen and hats".

The 30-year study found rates of invasive melanoma in this country increased from about 26 cases per 100,000 people in 1982, to about 50 cases per 100,000 people in 2011.

New Zealand melanoma experts said the problem had been caused by a lack of commitment from government to tackle the problem for more than a decade.

University of Otago Associate Professor Tony Reeder said an example of political failure had been a lack of action on banning sun beds.

He said while some industries and workforces have good sun protection procedures, others don't.

"In other contexts we just need to change the culture. There needs to be more resourcing and more consistent applications cross all our institutions really, so it just becomes a matter of routine like wearing your seatbelt".

Cancer Society chief executive Claire Austin said trials for drugs like Keytruda show 30 per cent of people go into remission and another 30 percent have extended life expectancy.

"This research just reinforces the importance of the need for Kiwis to have access to the proper and most effective treatments.

"Currently New Zealanders have no access to the new immunotherapies."

Austin said the research reinforces the need to get the sun-safe message out, especially through schools.

"It's young people themselves are most at risk, so slip, slop, slap and wrap, but also encouraging schools and providing them with resources to implement those programmes will make a big difference."

Redder agrees that schools also need more resources to promote the message.

Researchers said while New Zealanders have become more sun-smart, there's more that could be done. 

A New Zealand mother's started a petition asking the government to fund free sunscreen for Kiwi kids as a measure to prevent skin cancer.

Karen Mowbray's change.org petition is directed at Health Minister Jonathan Coleman in a bid to see sun-care products at the very least, subsidised.

She writes that keeping her three children in suncreen throughout the summer costs around $17 a week and for many families it's unaffordable.

"There was a lot of research done on the best sunscreens to use so I do try to use the best one to make sure they do have the best protection but it doesn't come cheap".

She said 90 per cent of skin cancer cases are attributed to excess sun exposure, and melanoma costs the health system $57 million a year in treatment.