I was reading this article about a guy who is being deported from New Zealand because he is too fat. That won’t what attracted my attention though, it was the stats: New Zealand is the third most obese nation in the world. Wow.

Then when I looked up the statistics for that, it seems that the UK is third, behind USA and Mexico, with New Zealand coming in 7th. That still surprises me, though.

I have noticed that here in Southland, the local ‘delicacies’ tend to involve an awful lot of sweet tasting foods, high in sugar. I also struggle to get any type of ‘healthy’ snacking like I was able to in the UK.

I am still surprised though. New Zealand is painted as the super healthy nation, live the outdoor life, sports as the norm, they are so good at rugby for example, bla bla bla.

Then I think back to my friends and colleagues here in Southland. Here in the town I live in, it is perfectly normal to drive to every single shop, even if you literally drive across the road from one side to the other. Trust me, I have seen it happen. It is normal to drive round and round the block till the space outside your favourite shop becomes available. Few people walk from a set parking spot, all round town and back again.

Perhaps New Zealand are a sporting nation, but in my experience, a few small local differences in how people live their lives would help this nation get out of the top ten fattest countries in the world.