ABSTRACT
Mission-On Not a religious phenomenon, nor a space odyssey, but rather, the catch-all title of the New Zealand government’s 67 million dollar fatbusting regime, rolled out in 2007. In a context where obesity is heralded as the most pressing health concern of our age (Campos 2004; Campos, Saguy, Ernsberger, Oliver and Gaesser 2006; Gard and Wright 2005), nothing short of a ‘mission’ will do, say the instigators of this wide-sweeping package of 10 initiatives targeting the eating habits, physical activity patterns and environments of all New Zealanders (Clark 2006). As is the case with most health initiatives, in Mission-On early intervention is represented as the key to unlatching a lighter future. And, as has perennially been the case, families are positioned centrally in the governmental gaze.
