Northland schools and Healthy Families Far North fight sugary drinks

Te Rangi Āniwaniwa students came up with the idea to call the water-only movement ''wai rangatira'', instead of SSB. Photo / Supplied

Healthy Families Far North has been collaborating with schools and families in the Far North to promote ditching sugary drinks.

The collaboration has been ongoing for several months in a bid to co-design a policy that cuts out sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB).

Healthy Families Far North is an initiative that aims to bring community leadership in the Far North District together in a united effort for improved health.

Students at Te Rangi Aniwaniwa took part in workshops to understand the policy and contribute ideas.

Numerous insights were gathered from the workshops, which will form the basis of ongoing ideation as the draft policy takes shape.

Healthy Families Far North manager Shirleyanne Brown said the term "SSB-free" did not capture the imagination as much as "wai rangatira", which students offered, as a more meaningful articulation of the water-only schools movement.

"The water-only schools movement is very much couched in health-based rationale. The students at Te Rangi Aniwaniwa have identified the notion of wai as a carrier of mauri," Ms Brown said.

Wai has a whakapapa that, when tampered with by adding sugar and other additives, contaminates its purity. Therefore, an SSB-free policy resonates stronger as a policy that upholds the consumption of wai rangatira."

Ms Brown said some whanau had given feedback during the process that strong leadership and commitment was necessary to achieve success.

"Similarly, while some whanau tell us they are ready and open for change, there is still existing concern about the affordability of drinking alternatives, proving that there appear to be strong connections between the consumption and marketing of SSBs," Ms Brown said.

Healthy Families Far North and partners met again last week to further review the insights gathered and start the next step of the design process – to seek solutions that will address the themes voiced by whanau.

"The vision of a healthy kura will keep the journey in good stead as we move forward together. We hold the vision and we trust the process," Ms Brown said.