Heinz Watties employees in Hastings have strode into first place for New Zealand in the 2010 Global Corporate Challenge, the world's largest corporate health initiative.
Nearly 100,000 people from 800 companies in 55 countries took part and final results showed a Heinz Wattie's team took first prize for New Zealand and
placed 99th globally against 13,900 teams.
For 16 weeks the seven six-member teams wore pedometers and recorded their daily step count on the Global Corporate Challenge website along with the 13,900 teams throughout the world. They could view where they were placed internationally and within their company.
Sarah Bryant, procurement manager and Workfit co-ordinator said some of the people in the company's teams were very competitive.
"The Heinz Watties teams started with daily averages such as 8000 steps per day and by the end of the 16 weeks were averaging anything from 12,000 to 23,000 steps per day," she said. "The winning team, led by John Bostock, walked 11,724km in total."
Because the teams had such a positive experience and saw the benefits to their personal fitness and health, Ms Bryant said the company was running an 11 week in-house competition leading up to Christmas.
Heinz Watties is a finalist in the 2010 Westpac Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce Business Awards in the Workfit Healthy Workplace category.
Workfit is a programme designed to create a supportive environment for health in the workplace and is funded by the HB District Health Board.
