After my semester abroad in Wollongong, Australia, where I took a course on nutrition, I spent two weeks of July 2019 immersing myself in the culture and geography of different regions in New Zealand. As an aspiring medical student from rural upstate NY, who had the opportunity to learn about nutrition both in and outside of the classroom in Australia, I was curious to learn about nutrition and wellness in one of the most geographically unique countries in the world.
Before this project, I had preconceived notions about New Zealanders and their nutrition and wellness from talking to others who had travelled there and from what I learned in Australia. I viewed New Zealand as a country full of strikingly fit and healthy people, and I was driven to investigate how, why, and if these ideas were true. Although I had specific places and activities planned in order to inform my learning, including visits based in Auckland of the north island and Queenstown in the south island, I really did not know what to expect or what I would learn. I booked my 15 days full of tours of different regions throughout the country with local tour guides to learn if and why New Zealanders live healthy lives. Furthermore, I was interested in observing the availability of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options in different parts of the country, as I have seen my sister struggle and succeed in finding vegan options for herself in different geographic locations of the United States. I noticed it was much easier to find these options in Australia than where I have lived in the United States, so I was intrigued to see how the accessibility in New Zealand would compare.
After taking notes each day and organizing my thoughts and observations, I learned that the impacts of geographic location, colonization, and tourism work and overlap to influence nutrition and wellness in New Zealand. Before I unpack these observations, I want to acknowledge that this information is coming from my own perspective as a white, middle class, college-aged female and that someone with a different identity may have a different perspective and learning experience. Nonetheless, my time in New Zealand shed light on a variety of factors that influence health and well-being, most of which are not included in medical school curricula but are still important social determinants of health to know about for a career in medicine and caring for others.
Auckland
Auckland, NZ is one of the most well-known and populated cities in the north island. I chose to stay here for the first week of my project because there were various tours to more remote and rural areas of the north island that left from Auckland, and I felt I could maximize my observations and travels from this area. Here, I quickly learned the impact of being in a highly populated and diverse city on nutrition and wellness. Not only was there a wide array of cultures represented, but every restaurant I went to had at least one - some an entire section of the menu- vegan or vegetarian option. In the heart of the city, one could find Thai, Mexican, Indian, Italian, and American food. In addition to these restaurants, even most fast food places had many plant-based options on the go. For example, there was a fast food restaurant called Lord of the Fries that was entirely plant-based, and a local Mexican restaurant had jack-fruit as an option instead of meat, a Thai food place that was 100% plant-based, and a popular caf茅 that used all raw, natural, and plant-based ingredients all within walking distance of the center of the city. Aside from restaurants, there were a plethora of cafes and small convenience stores with a variety of options in terms of cultural and dietary preferences.
