Cologne, Germany – New Zealand’s Richard Beddie is in Cologne this week to play a key part in the formation of a new organisation, World Active.
Beddie, chief executive of ExerciseNZ, says World Active is a new global collaboration of groups with a mission to increase physical activity levels globally.
“I’ve been very active on World Active (WA) as it takes shape, being on two of its key sub-committees.
“WA is being formed at FIBO, the largest exercise trade show event globally with 140,000 people attending this week. FIBO is the world’s leading trade show for fitness, wellness and health and the event is being held in Cologne.
AT FIBO, New Zealand is also taking part in a meeting of the International Confederation for Register of Exercise Professionals to further facilitate international portability of exercise professionals globally. New Zealand’s education in this space is highly regarded.
Beddie also attended another global activity event in San Diego, the latest education event of its type globally with more than 8000 conference attendees. He presented as a part of a panel on collaborating globally while acting locally.
The missing piece we are waiting for is recognition from the New Zealand government that we are part of the health-continuum, he says.
“Successive governments have shown their inability to have exercise integrated into health delivery. This is despite the fact that over and over, exercise is shown to not only be an effective intervention for treatment but the most cost effective preventative measure to extend life and reduce the health bill.
“We appeal to the New Zealand government to engage work with us on this. New Zealand has an unacceptably high level of physical inactivity, according to the first ever World Health Organisation (WHO) report on global physical inactivity.”
The report says 95 percent of New Zealand girls 11 to 17 are physically inactive compared to 85 percent of boys the same age. For those 18 and over, 45 percent of women are inactive and 39 percent of men don’t exercise enough.
And among Kiwis 70 and over, 62 percent of women and 55 percent of men do not exercise enough.
Beddie says New Zealand is one of the worst countries in the world for being energetic and exercising. Forty-eight percent of Kiwi adults don’t hit global activity targets.
For further information contact Richard Beddie on 027 5205744 or ExerciseNZ’s media specialist Make Lemonade NZ editor-in-chief Kip Brook on 0275 03018
