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A paediatrician with a particular interest in child health is warning it could take a long time to shrink New Zealand.
The government has introduced a package of initiatives to address childhood obesity, including improved public information and resources and increasing physical activity at school and outside.
There are also actions for the health sector and the food and beverage industry to increase support for those at risk of becoming obese, and to make healthier choices easier.
Dr Pat Tuohy, the health ministry's chief advisor for child health, says it's a good plan but don't expect change overnight.
He says kids have been getting heavier for the past 20 or 30 years because of a number of factors, including things that happen before they are born.
"Mums sometimes think they need to eat for 2 but actually you don't need to eat for two, it's only an extra 100 to 200 calories a day that they need to nourish the fetus. And so babies are being born bigger. The mums get gestational diabetes which is actually pre-programming the baby for problems further down the track," he says.
Pat Tuohy says health workers can identify children at risk of obesity by the time they are four, but parents often think their tamariki are normal and need a lot of advice on what they can do about it.
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