Purpose: New Zealand and Australia have the highest incidence and mortality of melanoma in the world. Despite this, management in New Zealand varies greatly compared with Australia and the rest of the world particularly with respect to funding of certain novel medications, immunotherapy. In New Zealand, it is only funded when a diagnosis of advanced disease is made. Methodology: Patients diagnosed with Stage III or resectable Stage IV melanoma in the Nelson Marlborough District between 2018 and 2021 were retrospectively analysed over the three years after diagnosis. All patients were undergoing combined clinical and radiological surveillance after treatment. This study identifies the rate of melanoma recurrence in this group and the first recurrence pickup method. The recurrence rates were then compared to international rates, where advanced treatments are available. Results: Preliminary results reveal a total of 44 patients and of those, 75% (33) had a recurrence of disease. Radiological surveillance was the pickup method in 21 cases (63.6%) and the remaining 12 cases (36.4%) by clinical surveillance. The average time to recurrence was identified as 11.3 (mean) and 9 (median) months. A literature search of the international data revealed Stage III recurrence rates to be approximately 47%, with limited data for Stage IV disease. Conclusion: New Zealanders with a diagnosis of advanced melanoma have a higher rate of recurrence of disease when compared to international literature. We propose that the treatment therapies lacking public funding in New Zealand play a role in this disparity.