Perhaps this is why they're so strict with us and our BMIs. They don't want to add to the problem. It's a wonder they haven't stopped smokers from entering NZ, as they could also cause a problem with the overburdened health system if they developed chest problems.

Half of Kiwis overweight or obese - report
15 May 2006
By HAYDON DEWES

If you are not overweight, the chances are your best mate is. More than half of New Zealanders are classified as overweight or obese, according to fresh evidence contained in a Health Ministry report released yesterday.

The report, An Indication of New Zealanders' Health 2005, says 34 per cent of New Zealanders over the age of 15 are overweight, and 20 per cent are obese. Health Minister Pete Hodgson said the alarming statistic showed that the obesity epidemic was New Zealand's most pressing public health challenge.

'A lot of people have been looking for a crisis in health. This is it. One in five New Zealanders are obese and we can only begin to imagine what that will mean for the future of the health system.'

The report says men are more likely to be overweight than women, and that Pacific people have higher rates of obesity than other ethnic groups. For Pacific men the rate is one in three, climbing to one in two for women. One in four Maori are obese.

Mr Hodgson told a Diabetes New Zealand conference on Saturday that 11,000 New Zealanders died each year from food-related conditions. Public Health director Don Matheson told Parliament's health select committee last week it was hard to gauge the effectiveness of Government intervention to lower rates of obesity and type-2 diabetes because there was little evidence available to determine progress.

The Government is reluctant to use regulation to force change, instead trying a 'hearts and minds' campaign first, but has not ruled out legislation. The select committee meets again on Wednesday to begin hearing the 280 submissions it has received as part of its inquiry into the causes and effects of obesity and type-2 diabetes.