The Portage Crossing, one of south Auckland’s most popular summer events, took the bold step of becoming ‘fizz free’ this year as part of a healthy living push that also ensured stallholders took a healthier approach to the food and drink they offered.
Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board Chair Lemauga Lydia Sosene says it’s good to see local board-funded events promoting healthier lifestyle choices – an approach the board has passionately pushed for.
Working with local board and council
“Our board has been strongly advocating for council-run facilities and council-funded events to be free of sugary drinks and fatty foods, so we applaud the organisers of the Portage Crossing for taking this courageous step.”
The Portage Crossing event organisers, the Manukau Urban Maori Authority (MUMA), worked closely with the Healthy Families South Auckland team and Auckland Council staff to ensure the event could be an example for the community on how to make healthier lifestyle choices.
Water the drink of choice
This meant marketing the event as ‘fizz free’, with water promoted as the drink of choice, and stations on-site for participants to access free water. Food stalls and vendors were required to be aligned with Auckland Council’s bronze standard of the Food & Beverage Guidelines, which essentially meant no sugary drinks or high-fat foods could be sold.
The Portage Crossing, which took place at Māngere Bridge reserve on 9 February, also had a big focus on movement. Its famous waka-ama race, a 20km paddle and walk route from Okahu Bay, paid homage to the journey taken by the Tainui waka eight centuries earlier when it arrived on the shores of the Manukau Harbour. To support participants involved in the race, water stations were placed along the route so people could fill up their water bottles.
Smokefree messages
As well as promoting exercise and healthy food and drink choices, event organisers ensured smokefree messages were plugged from the main stage throughout the day.
MUMA event coordinator Wynn Anania says taking a healthier approach was easy.
“For the Portage Crossing it’s a step in the right direction, a healthier direction – and we found the Healthy Environment principles were quite easy to implement.”
The event, which was funded by Mangere-Otahuhu Local Board and Panuku Development Auckland, will serve as an example to Auckland Council’s events team and the rest of the southern local boards on how healthier events can be delivered in the future.
The 'Fizz Free' movement comes on the heels of Healthy Families South Auckland’s strategic work to promote water as the first drink of choice. This has involved working intensively with south Auckland secondary schools and early childhood centres to improve access to water within their facilities.
Healthy Families South Auckland manager George Makatapatama says it’s important to take every opportunity to increase the accessibility of healthy food and drink choices, given the high rates of serious chronic diseases affecting so many people in south Auckland.
“We have some gnarly issues in south Auckland with chronic disease caused by unhealthy diets and lifestyle choices. But one simple response we can take is through creating an events framework that can effectively influence behaviour change in a common-sense way without ruining people’s fun,” he says.
“A healthier future starts with Aucklanders making healthier choices in all the places they live, learn, work, and play – including at our amazing summer events.”
The next events to trial this approach are the Manurewa Fun Run on 9 March and the Eye On Nature Family Day on 30 March.
Note: Healthy Families NZ is a large-scale Ministry of Health-funded initiative that brings together community leadership in a united effort to achieve better health outcomes in communities afflicted by the rise of chronic diseases.
