Kiwis' unhealthy lifestyles revealed [news]

Only one in seven New Zealanders - 13.1 percent - have healthy lifestyles, says a new compilation of statistics related to the nation's sustainability.

And though the proportion of Pakeha taking care of themselves with healthy diets and exercise was not too flash at 15.7 percent, the proportion of Maori and Pacific Islanders hitting the same targets was lagging badly around only a third of that level.

Where one in six Pakeha has a healthy lifestyle, only one in 16 Maori (6.4 percent) and one in 25 Pacific Islanders (4 percent) engaged in the five "healthy behaviours" used as a measure.

These behaviours - non-smoking, safe drinking, eating adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables, and maintaining a healthy weight - have been combined into a measure of a healthy lifestyle in the Statistics New Zealand overview of New Zealand's social, economic and environmental sustainability.