A third of school-aged Kiwi children are overweight or obese.
So alarming is the trend that the Government has prioritised reducing this rate through its Childhood Obesity Plan.
As well it should.
A study assessing the rate of health dangers linked to obesity in young people last year found that 40 per cent of obese children and adolescents were at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes in future.
The ongoing health and social costs of such a trend could be horrendous.
While the Government deserves praise for tackling the issue, some health professionals say it needs to do more.
This week a leading public health researcher urged the Government to curb the marketing of unhealthy food to children and young people.
The call from the University of Auckland's Professor Boyd Swinburn comes as researchers say sophisticated marketing methods, such as cookies and advert-linked gaming, are being used by food websites to target children.
Professor Swinburn has claimed a submission by 77 New Zealand health professors to a recent industry review of self-regulatory advertising codes had been "largely ignored".
A review panel, reporting to the Advertising Standards Authority, has proposed a single voluntary code on advertising to children to replace the existing two children's codes.
In response the Advertising Standards Authority says there has been a "high level of engagement" from industry, and "people want to get this right".
A spokesman for the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council said it wanted to see the age of "a child" in the codes redefined from 14 to 12.
If the Government wants to encourage young people to make healthy lifestyle choices then it needs to limit or stop the marketing of unhealthy food to children.
Such messages are dampening its efforts to reduce childhood obesity.
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