Editorial: Buck has to stop with individual

There's no question that New Zealand - and Rotorua more so than other cities - has a problem with childhood obesity.

That flows through into adult obesity and with it the associated health issues. As a community, we are unhealthy and that needs to change.

The national study on fast-food outlets around schools, a New Zealand first, found 69 per cent of urban schools in this country have a convenience store within 800m and 62 per cent have a fast-food shop within the same distance.

It led the University of Auckland researchers to suggest legislative changes to allow councils to restrict new unhealthy food outlets near schools, creating healthy food zones.

Rotorua Lakes Council has no plans to look into the suggestion.

As Westbrook Primary principal Colin Watkins says, enforcing healthy food choices should not be the Government's responsibility.

The Government and local councils have a responsibility to encourage and enable people to make healthier choices, by making healthy food affordable for all, educating people and giving them access to expert dietary advice and doing all it can to support people in making those choices.

But at some point the buck has to stop with the individual. Or, in the case of young children, with the parents.

Suggesting businesses should be restricted in where they can operate, because some people are apparently unable to walk past a dairy without buying a pie or a bar of chocolate, would be a slippery slope to go down.

Rotorua schools are all doing a great job in trying to teach their kids the right way to eat.

Parents can support that by backing up the healthy eating message.

Kids and teenagers will inevitably eat junk food, and that's fine in moderation.

But if they are armed with all the knowledge and tools they need, the hope is they will make the right choices, most of the time. Without needing a law to force them.