NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Sugar tax on fizzy drinks: Majority want it

NZ Herald
1 Aug, 2017 12:02 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Experts say a tax on sugary drinks would help address high rates of obesity and dental health problems. Photo / 123RF

Experts say a tax on sugary drinks would help address high rates of obesity and dental health problems. Photo / 123RF

A new poll shows two-thirds of Kiwis support a tax on sugary drinks, with revenue to go towards child obesity programmes.

The UMR Research poll of 750 New Zealanders commissioned by the University of Auckland asked respondents how strongly they agreed or disagreed with the proposal, with 67 per cent either strongly or somewhat agreeing a tax should be imposed.

Support was evenly split across all income levels, with those expected to be most opposed to a tax most strongly in favour.

Despite consuming more sugary drinks on average, those on annual incomes below $50,000 were 69 per cent in support of a tax, 1 per cent ahead of the highest earners above $100,000. Middle-income earners were 63 per cent in favour.

This reinforces the almost identical results of a Colmar Brunton poll conducted in April 2016.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The issue of sugary drinks intake is urgent, considering our high rates of dental health problems as well as child and adult obesity and diabetes," health researcher Dr Gerhard Sundborn said.

"A sugary drinks tax is the most effective means to address this, and only the Government can enact it. It requires the Government to provide leadership which prioritises our children's health over corporate profits."

But the tax won't be implemented any time soon.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman said the Government's position on a sugar tax hadn't changed.

"It's not something we're actively considering. We are continuing to keep a watching brief on the emerging evidence and practice."

He said that despite what advocates claimed, there was no evidence that a sugar tax decreases obesity rates.

"There's no single solution that will fix obesity. We've implemented a Childhood Obesity Plan with a range of interventions across Government, the private sector, communities, schools and families.

"We're now one of the few OECD countries to have a target and comprehensive plan on childhood obesity."

More than 1.3 million Kiwis are obese, making New Zealand the third-fattest country in the OECD.

In Mexico, where Coca-Cola is almost as much a part of the culture as tequila and more than 70 per cent of the population is overweight, a sugary drinks tax has been in place for two years.

Though adding just one peso (7c) to the cost of a can of soft drink, consumption has fallen by an average of 7.6 per cent. Purchases of untaxed drinks went up by 2 per cent over the period, although there was a decline in the second year.

It is still too early to tell whether there have been any health benefits to the Mexican population.

Despite broad support for a tax from the Greens, the Maori Party and the Opportunities Party at a Fizz Symposium of health professionals and researchers in June, the Government has declined all invitations to attend for more than four years.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Labour is preparing its own sugar tax policy.

"In contrast, when Coke have invited the Government to their functions they find the time," Sundborn said, citing visits by then-Prime Minister John Key and Gerry Brownlee to a new Coca-Cola Amatil factory in 2011, and by Minister for Economic Development Stephen Joyce in 2016.

A spokeswoman for Coleman said parliamentary commitments in Wellington meant he wasn't able to attend the Fizz Symposium.

"He did pass on his apologies and wished the organisers the best wishes for a successful event. Attempts were made to find a suitable fill in, but the timing of the event made it difficult.

"Simon O'Connor wasn't able to as he already had commitments with the Health Select Committee he chairs."

A tax on drinks with more than 5g per 100ml was announced by the UK Government last year, and is due to come into effect in April 2018.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Other countries to have introduced a similar tax include Hungary, where a 2011 tax led to a decline of around a fifth in sales, Tonga, the Cook Islands, France and several cities in the US, including several cities in the San Francisco area, Seattle, Boulder, and Philadelphia.

Denmark abolished its eight-decades old sugar tax in 2014, citing large tax losses from illegal sales, as Danes were jumping the border into Sweden or Germany to purchase drinks in bulk.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
Opinion

Audrey Young: Anxiety rises ahead of David Seymour's stint as Deputy PM

29 May 12:40 AM
New ZealandUpdated

'Amazing community asset': Pool saved from closure with $5.71m boost

29 May 12:33 AM
New Zealand

'Concerned for her welfare': Have you seen Linda?

29 May 12:29 AM

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'Amazing community asset': Pool saved from closure with $5.71m boost

'Amazing community asset': Pool saved from closure with $5.71m boost

29 May 12:33 AM

The Ōtūmoetai Pool will remain open and receive funding for upgrades.

'Concerned for her welfare': Have you seen Linda?

'Concerned for her welfare': Have you seen Linda?

29 May 12:29 AM
'Basketball-sized rocks': SH25 closed by slips in Coromandel

'Basketball-sized rocks': SH25 closed by slips in Coromandel

29 May 12:22 AM
'A city that’s finding its feet again': Businesses optimistic in survey, air connectivity key issue

'A city that’s finding its feet again': Businesses optimistic in survey, air connectivity key issue

29 May 12:00 AM
Explore the hidden gems of NSW
sponsored

Explore the hidden gems of NSW

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP