Kiwi kids, hopefully 50,000 of them, are being enticed to exercise in a new challenge addressing New Zealand's woeful child obesity record.
As world rankings go, ours is not one to be proud of. According to OECD figures, New Zealand children are number three on the list of the most obese children in the world, with a third of children and teenagers here either overweight or obese.
Poor nutrition plays a big part in these scary statistics but so does a lack of exercise – but now a new initiative is encouraging young people to get moving by cleverly combining online adventure with physical activity.
New Zealand's Healthiest Schools Challenge, devised by newly joined insurance companies, AIA and Sovereign, encourages primary school children to count their steps with the help of a pedometer. They enter those steps into a digital programme allowing them to "travel" around the world, participating in adventures with Kiwi sports stars Cory Jane and Gemma McCaw.
The companies' interest in wellbeing stems from their compilation of the AIA Healthy Living Index, highlighting health trends and offering advice on improvement – and they are hoping to inspire 50,000 schoolchildren throughout New Zealand in term four. Schools can register at www.healthiestschools.co.nz.
"Our shared vision is to make New Zealand one of the healthiest and best-protected nations in the world. The Healthiest Schools initiative is vital to achieving that, given that healthy habits developed before a child turns 10 are far more likely to stick," says Nick Stanhope, NZ CEO of AIA/Sovereign.
He's referring to modern research showing those who exercise in their youth generally become healthier adults – as highlighted by a 2016 Finnish study which demonstrated that those who get into the habit of exercising when aged between three and nine are more likely to be active as adults.
Ground-breaking research by New Zealand scientists at the University of Auckland's Liggins Institute has underlined that – finding that children getting plenty of exercise can combat the long-term "programming" effects of a high-fat diet. The 2017 study showed bone retains a memory of exercise's health effects long after that exercise has ceased, which continues to change the way the body metabolises a high-fat diet.
The problem is many of our kids just aren't moving as much as they should, with one study of overweight and obese youngsters in Taranaki showing they do far less than the recommended hour of moderate to vigorous activity every day. Around a third admitted they spend more than three hours a day watching TV or other screens.
Childhood exercise expert Scott Duncan applauds any efforts that inspire kids to move more:
"Initiatives like this are great for getting children motivated to be active," says Duncan, an associate professor at AUT's School of Sport and Recreation.
"Societal changes, especially in the last 10 years, have had a huge impact on children. They are spending way more time looking at technology and screens and way less outside roaming around and participating in play that's challenging and physical."
Duncan says we need to be aware of the benefits exercise gives kids now and later on in life – and take on the responsibility of keeping them as active as possible: "The younger they start the better, but really young children can't just randomly do it themselves. It should be family habit."
The problem isn't always children – Duncan supervised a PhD study in 2015 showing kids in New Zealand are 50 per cent less likely to roam independently than their parents because they are often worried about safety, meaning the healthy benefits of free play and exercise are often lost.
New Zealand's Healthiest School Challenge sees a class, once accepted as participants, given free pedometers. They then create an avatar of themselves on the website or app and enter in the steps they've done in real life, as recorded by the pedometer.
Those steps enable a class to move around an online global course, viewing fun animations of their avatars having adventures and interacting with the avatars of hockey star Gemma McCaw and rugby legend Cory Jane, ambassadors for the challenge.
Along the way, they can answer questions about the healthy living messages they've been given by Gemma and Cory, and go in a draw to win a range of prizes, including a share of $50,000 worth of AIA and Sovereign sports grants for their school, real-life visits from Gemma and Cory, and trips to Sydney for football coaching sessions with a world-famous soccer star.
Mums and dads can also join a parents' team, and take part in the challenge, helping their kids gain extra entries into the competition.
Stanhope says he hopes New Zealand's Healthiest Schools Challenge will excite schoolkids to build up their step count: "We've designed the challenge to be fun for the children and we hope that, once they've been inspired to do lots of steps every day, it's a habit they'll stick with. We're really passionate about doing what we can to improve the health of Kiwi kids."