AIA's Five-Week Healthly Kids Challenge Gets Underway

Today a staggering 15,000 children from 499 classes at 110 primary schools across New Zealand get underway with the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge. The five-week health and wellbeing programme aims to inspire children, and their families, to get active and make healthy eating choices.

The AIA Healthy Kids Challenge cleverly combines technology and leading New Zealand athletes to inspire, motivate and educate primary school children and their parents to lead healthier lives. The programme is being supported by hockey player Gemma Flynn and international rugby winger Cory Jane.

AIA New Zealand Head of Marketing and Communications, David Savidan, says: “We want to encourage Kiwi primary school kids and their parents to improve their general health and wellness by getting active and eating well as a family. The AIA Healthy Kids Challenge harnesses technology that, with the proliferation of screens, is sometimes seen as a barrier to a healthy lifestyle.”

AIA’s recent Healthy Living Index concluded that unless there is a concerted effort by parents and schools to promote exercise and restrict screen time, there will be significant challenges to the younger generation leading healthier lives.

As part of the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge, each child receives a free pedometer to count the number of steps they take every day; each child also gets to create their own unique avatar. The programme records each class’s daily average steps, giving them the opportunity to win prizes, including AIA sports grants and Huawei Tablets for their school.

The children’s journey will be captured in a virtual online world showing the progress of their avatars as they work together to unlock new destinations. As children complete each leg, they’re shown an animated video of their avatar exploring each new place with New Zealand sporting stars Gemma and Cory. They learn about the history and culture of the countries they ‘visit’, and get health tips on the way around.

The Challenge recognises the importance of families exercising and making healthy eating choices together.

“Establishing good, healthy habits is easier when the whole family is on board, and it benefits everyone. We invite parents, friends and family to sign up to the Challenge to have fun getting fit and support their local school,” says Mr Savidan.

Parents, friends and family can use the website or download the Challenge app to track their own steps. The more adults each participating class has involved, the more chances the class and school have to win prizes, and there are opportunities for parents who get involved to win prizes too.

Simply visit www.healthykids.kiwi to register.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• 499 classes at 110 primary schools across New Zealand are participating in the Challenge
• Primary school children signups to the free AIA Healthy Kids Challenge have exceeded 15,000 for 2016
• The five-week programme begins on 26 October 2016
• Each participating student receives a free pedometer and can create their own individual avatar
• To sign up to the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge, and support your child’s class or your local primary school, visit www.healthykids.kiwi to register
• Sporting and equipment grants, and 50 Huawei Tablets to be won
• List of participating schools in your region is available in the Registration section on the website
• High-resolution photos available on request

Media contact:

Lisa van Beurden
SweeneyVesty
M. 0274 377 579
E. lisa.vanbeurden@sweeneyvesty.com

About AIA New Zealand

AIA New Zealand is a member of the AIA Group. Established in New Zealand in 1981, AIA New Zealand has consistently provided the market with innovative personal and business insurance products that suit the Kiwi way of life.

Today AIA New Zealand offers a range of risk management products that focus on the needs of customers. AIA New Zealand is based in Auckland with regional offices in Wellington and Christchurch. However, through a network of financial advisers, AIA reaches every corner of the country.

AIA New Zealand is a member of the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO) and the Health Funds Association of New Zealand (HFANZ). Standard and Poor’s reaffirmed AIA New Zealand’s insurer financial strength rating at AA- in June 2016.

About AIA

AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively “AIA” or the “Group”) comprise the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific – wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, New Zealand, Macau, Brunei, a 97 per cent subsidiary in Sri Lanka, a 49 per cent joint venture in India, and a representative office in Myanmar and Cambodia.

The business that is now AIA was first established in Shanghai almost a century ago. It is a market leader in the Asia-Pacific region (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total assets of US$168 billion as of 30 November 2015.

AIA meets the long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance, and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and employees across Asia-Pacific, AIA serves the holders of more than 29 million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group insurance schemes.

AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock code “1299” with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: “AAGIY”).