ExerciseNZ’s Richard Beddie at the formation of new global organisation World Active

ExerciseNZ’s Richard Beddie at the formation of new global organisation World Active

ExerciseNZ President Richard Beddie is in the German city of Cologne this week to play a key part in the first face-to-face meeting of the World Active organisation.

Advising that World Active is a new a global collaboration of groups with a mission to increase physical activity levels globally, Beddie explains “I've been very active on World Active (WA) as it takes shape, being on two of its key sub-committees.

“WA is being formed at FIBO, the largest exercise trade show event globally with 140,000 people attending this week. FIBO is the world's leading trade show for fitness, wellness and health and the event is being held in Cologne.

World Active’s first meeting is being held during the FIBO fitness fair with Beddie also representing New Zealand at a meeting of the International Confederation for Register of Exercise Professionals (ICREPS) to further facilitate international portability of exercise professionals globally.

New Zealand’s education in this space is highly regarded.

Beddie (pictured), who also chaired a meeting of the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) at their 2023 Convention in the USA city of San Diego last month, has repeatedly highlighted that the activity and exercise industry awaits recognition from the New Zealand Government for its role as part of the health-continuum.

He explains “successive governments have shown their inability to have exercise integrated into health delivery. This is despite the fact that over and over, exercise is shown to not only be an effective intervention for treatment but the most cost effective preventative measure to extend life and reduce the health bill.

“We appeal to the New Zealand Government to engage with us and work with us on this. New Zealand has an unacceptably level of physical inactivity, according to the first ever World Health Organization (WHO) report on global physically inactivity.”

The report offered a damning set of figures over inactivity among New Zealand’s population.