Twelve of the most passionate and talented young Kiwi kids gathered for the inaugural Amigo Nutrition Advisory Board meeting this week, and they blew our socks off!
Selected from 300 applicants nationwide, these 10 to 14-year-olds generation Z wowed us with their maturity, vocabulary, wisdom and their social conscious. The Board’s concerns centred around the poor health of many New Zealand children. They are concerned that multinational companies are targeting children selling them sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks, making us a country of overweight and obese children with dental problems.
The concerns of the Amigo Nutrition Advisory Board mirrored the Children Commissioner’s recent Q&A with Jack Tame highlighting the fact that while the New Zealand government had campaigned on improving children’s wellbeing, nothing much has changed. One of the Board’s action items is to provide a rule book on what all New Zealand kids think are the priorities for the government for improving children’s health in New Zealand.
As John F Kennedy said, “children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future”.
Based on the performance of the Amigo Nutrition Advisory Board, these leaders will be a force to be reckoned with, and we are proud to be one of their amigos.
