$10m plan to fight diabetes

A $10 million plan to treat the root causes of diabetes - inactivity and a poor diet - was launched in South Auckland last night.

Health officials say more than 12,000 people in the Counties Manukau District Health Board region have been diagnosed with diabetes and an estimated 12,000 remain undiagnosed.

They expect that number to double in the next 20 years.

"Counties Manukau, given the make-up of its population, has needed to be a leader," Health Minister Annette King told a gathering at the TelstraClear Pacific Stadium. "We are ... running hard [with the issue]."

Pacific Islanders and Maori, who make up a significant proportion of the area's population, suffer from diabetes in higher numbers than other ethnicities.

Mele Taufa, 17, found out she had type two diabetes three years ago. She lost weight, became pale and had an unquenchable thirst.

Her mother understood what those things meant. She has also been diagnosed with diabetes - as has Mele's grandmother. Mele's father also suffered from the disease. He died 11 years ago.

"I've been trying to be careful of myself so I didn't end up like him," says Mele.

"It's something that I can get rid of if I look after myself carefully. But if I don't, it's there for life."