Support of Healthy Families NZ initiative welcomed   27 Jul 2016

Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman
Minister of Health

27 July 2016

Minister welcomes Auckland Council’s support of the local Healthy Families NZ initiative

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has today welcomed Auckland Council’s commitment to the local Healthy Families NZ initiative by removing sugar sweetened beverages from vending machines at their leisure sites.

“Healthy Families NZ is about encouraging people to live healthier lives by making good food choices, being physically active, moderating alcohol consumption and being smoke-free,” says Dr Coleman.

“The initiative challenges communities to think differently about how to address the underlying causes of poor health at a local level.

“Today’s announcement by Auckland Council to remove all sugar sweetened beverages from vending machines at their leisure sites and encourage healthy options will have a positive impact locally.

“This decision demonstrates the Council’s commitment to Healthy Families Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura. This is a great example of local communities working together to find relevant localised solutions.”

Auckland Council has 16 vending machines at its leisure sites in the Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura areas. The Council believes that close to 11,000 sugar sweetened beverages are sold via these vending machines each year.

The Council estimates that if converted into sugar cubes the amount of sugar being sold through these machines would be 4.5 times the height of Auckland’s Sky Tower per year.

Healthy Families Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura has the potential to impact on more than 275,000 lives. It currently covers 15 marae, 100 schools, 120 early childhood education centres, 1,800 food premises and 400 large employers.

Auckland Council established the Tamaki Healthy Families Alliance to deliver Healthy Families Manukau and Healthy Families Manurewa-Papakura. Tamaki Healthy Families Alliance is a partnership between Nga Mana Whenua o Tamaki Makaurau, Alliance Health Plus and Auckland Council.

$12 million is being invested in Healthy Families Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura over four years.

Healthy Families NZ is being rolled out across ten locations, and has the potential to impact the lives of around one million New Zealanders.

It is one of the 22 initiatives in the Childhood Obesity Plan which the Government launched last year. New Zealand one of the first OECD countries to have a target and a comprehensive plan to tackle childhood obesity.

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