A public health promoter is welcoming Auckland Council’s decision to stop the sale of sugary drinks from its leisure centres.

Instead the vending machines will offer water, unflavoured milk, pure fruit juice, diluted fruit juice with no added sugar, and artificially sweetened soft drinks.

Anna Jane Jacobs from Healthy Families Manukau says it needs to be part of a wider effort to normalise healthy behaviour.

"The health issues we face as Maori and Pacific people such as heart disease and diabetes are much more complex than just the sugar so it is also about looking at the places where we live, work and play and embedding healthy habits in all of those spaces to make the healthiest choice the easiest choice," Ms Jane says.

Physical activity, eating right, drinking less and not smoking all play a part in improving health outcomes.