9 June 2014

Greens commit to all obesity recommendations

The Green Party congratulates the New Zealand Medical Association for its ground-breaking report on battling obesity, and commits to implementing all its recommendations when in Government.

The Green Party strongly applauds the leadership of the New Zealand medical profession in the battle against obesity-related disease, marked by the release of the NZ Medical Association's landmark report on the subject today.

“The Medical Association’s recommendations must be implemented if New Zealand is going to treat obesity with the seriousness it deserves,” Green Party health spokesperson Kevin Hague said today.

“The Medical Association’s report shows that National’s individual choice approach is not based on science and is simply not working.

“Two thirds of New Zealanders are now obese or overweight and this is a life and death issue that is overwhelming our hospitals. The Government must accept that doctors are the experts and take their advice on tackling obesity.

“The report's recommendations are highly congruent with Green Party policy and we will implement them urgently if we’re elected to Government later this year.

“Controls on price, availability and marketing have worked to reduce smoking so why wouldn’t we use everything we’ve got?

“The report also makes clear that factors outside the health sector, such as urban design and transport, also have a crucial role to play, and the Green Party advocates for healthy cities for healthy lives.

“The Medical Association’s report should be a wake-up call for the Government that its head in the sand approach to obesity is not working and it is time for real action on the obesity epidemic,” Mr Hague said.

ENDS

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