No officials shouldn’t decide where stores go

Stuff reports:

Diabetes New Zealand chief executive Steve Crew said one in four New Zealanders were pre-diabetic and an estimated 40 people a day were diagnosed with diabetes.

The problem was a huge one for the health system, he said.

The study’s results were not surprising, as Asian, Maori and Pacific people all had higher rates of diabetes.

But there were several factors at play, such as being able to afford health care.

Diabetes was often picked up earlier in patients who were able to afford to visit the doctor for a check-up.

A tax on sugary drinks and processed sugar would help, while the placement of fast food outlets should also be more regulated, Crew said.

“In Auckland there are certain parts [where fast food outlets] seem to be congregated more than others.

“It’s a fine line between having a nanny state, if you want to go out and have a burger you can, but it’s about having these processes in place so officials can work together about where to put these stores.”

No officials shouldn’t decide where stores can go. They should be able to go wherever a location is zoned for business activity.

The proposal to ban dairies within 800 metres of schools, for example, would see almost no dairies in Auckland.

Say you think no McDonalds within 500 metres of a school or ECE centre. Well there was an ECE centre in the Reserve Bank, so that means McDonalds on Lamption Quay would be banned.