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Isoa Kavakimotu, who grew up in Otahuhu and Mt Roskill, took to social media to address Collins’ claims that obesity is a “personal choice.”
She told Newstalk ZB that “people need to start taking some personal responsibility for their weight” before joking that weight gain is not an epidemic and is “not contagious.”
His comments surprised Kavakimotu, 27, who was inspired to address the topic of obesity.
In an emotional post, Kavakimotu took responsibility for his own health, but detailed a number of alarming factors contributing to New Zealand’s obesity crisis, and addressed Collins by name.
“Judith Collins … Well. To be honest, she’s not half as wrong. We have to accept personal responsibility for the decisions we make.
“But let me start this off by saying that I don’t blame ANYONE but myself for where I am now. Not my parents, the church, my friends, but me,” he wrote.
While the 27-year-old raises his hand about his choices, he says that many families across the country are limited by the environment in which they find themselves.
He says that food prices, food selection and gentrification contribute to the country’s growing epidemic.
“I ate that bad food, drank the sodas, and added crazy sugar to my tea. However, I am a product of my environment.
“I grew up surrounded by takeout and liquor stores. When the dairy sells fruit for $ 1.50 a fruit, but the tarts are $ 1 each and I only have $ 3 for lunch … guess what I’m going to buy ? Do you expect me to make 5+ a day when I barely had $ 5 to buy some fruit at the grocery store?
“Takeaway stores and liquor stores on most street corners are designed to kill those who live in low socioeconomic neighborhoods. Remember Furious Styles’ speech on Boyz N The Hood about gentrification? See how they push our people outside Auckland in Gray Lynn.
“Corned beef, povi masima, and lamb / lamb steaks are staples in my diet (most Pacific Islanders can relate to). Growing up, I always wondered why I rarely saw these cuts when I went to the neighborhood butchers boujie and even why Gordon Ramsay didn’t have a recipe for rack of lamb …
“In the mid-20th century, cuts of meat shipped to the Pacific were trimmings, preserved to last the long journey. Our ancestors settled for fatty meat and paid for it with growing waists.
“Gordon Ramsay wouldn’t dare cook with rack of lamb because they are DISCUT, and he would be lucky to find them at Countdown Gray Lynn. But sometimes Countdown Mt Wellington puts out rack of lamb especially, $ 40 a bag to feed his family. One week.
“These are just some of the reasons why there is an obesity epidemic among Maori and Pasifika.”
New Zealand is listed by the OECD as the third fattest country in the world; 31 percent of kiwis are considered obese. Aotearoa is behind Mexico (32 percent) and the United States (38 percent). Two out of three Pasifika (66 percent) and half of Maori (48 percent) are obese.
Collins attacked suggestions that his views oversimplified a complex issue or were ruthless.
“You know what cruel is? To think that someone else can cure these problems. We can all take personal responsibility,” he said.
He criticized parents saying, “It doesn’t take much to get frozen vegetables out of the freezer and get them out and make something with them. It’s not that difficult.”
However, Kavakimotu says Collins’s stance on blaming people is “clumsy ** t,” noting that the system makes the worst foods more accessible to vulnerable kiwis.
“Judith Collins shouldn’t be so dismissive because I’m here trying to change my own relationship with food and taking responsibility for what brought me here.
“But her saying ‘don’t blame the system’ is silly because this was / is the system in play to allow the fattiest cuts of meat to become a staple of our diet and are surrounded by heart attack foods and naughty / violent juice.
“Anyway, Talofa. Don’t forget to vote. I don’t care who you vote for, just do it.”
Speaking to the Herald, Kavakimotu says the obesity epidemic is too big a problem to dismiss, and calls on Collins to make better use of his position.
“How can this woman in a position to be so dismissive of something so troubling? There are so many factors that contribute to all of this.”
Kavakimotu’s powerful message has since gone viral, attracting tens of thousands of likes, comments, and shares across the country.
Several people backed his message, and thousands thanked him for his holistic views on a complicated issue.
“Thank you for painting some of the big picture details that Ms. Collins chooses to ignore and in doing so dismisses and disrespects the limitations and concerns that influence many community members in Aotearoa. Thank you for speaking for so many she chooses to fire. “said one.
Another added: “This is very insightful. I particularly respect the way you acknowledge Judith’s perspective and highlight insights from your experience. This is a valuable contribution to the conversation.”
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