Dunedin people are consistently proving to be the most physically active in the country.When Dunedin once again confirmed its status as New Zealand's fittest city last week it came as no surprise to those who dedicate their days to making it that way.
More than half the population (57%) exercise at least five days a week - the highest of the six cities covered by the Quality of Life Survey.
Sport Otago chief executive John Brimble said Otago was consistently in the top three for active participation in sport or exercise in several different studies.
Dunedin's high participation rate could be due to several factors, including the fact it was a tertiary city and had ''probably the best'' facilities of any similar-size city in the southern hemisphere, Mr Brimble said.
He said it also benefited from a co-ordinated effort by more than 20 different organisations that were part of the Getting Dunedin Active partnership.
Project manager Ruth Zeinert said the strategy was put in place in 2007 and a big part of it was about getting people to exercise as part of their everyday life - like walking to work.
''Hopefully, some of the figures we see now through surveys like this are a result of all the different partners in the sector working together for the last seven years.''
Minnesota student Emery Otopalik, who is at the University of Otago on a six-month student exchange, was out running on the harbourside shared cycling-pedestrian path
yesterday. She agreed Dunedin seemed to have quite a sporting population, as she had noticed a lot of people out and about on the various trails around the city.
Taieri Recreational Tramping Club members were also out for their regular Wednesday walk along the shared path yesterday, including retired couple Margaret and Les Smith.
As well as their walk every Wednesday, the couple also strike out on their own quite often and Mrs Smith takes part in a regular ''Fit and Fun'' class during the week, too.
Mayor Dave Cull said there was a ''shared vision'' in several different areas in Dunedin:''Increasing job opportunities, enabling the pursuit of physical activities, supporting a rich art and culture scene, and building a stronger sense of community and trust''.
Mr Brimble said Dunedin was well served in terms of its natural environment and the council did well when it came to providing open spaces and sports fields.
''From the DHB [Southern District Health Board] right through to the university, the advantage over the other bigger cities is that we are used to working together and collaborating,'' Mr Brimble said.
Other cities in the survey included Auckland, Wellington, Hutt City Council, Porirua and Christchurch.
Across all six cities an average of 46% of people said they exercised at least five days a week. The next best after Dunedin was Christchurch (48%).
In Dunedin, 83% of people exercise at least three times a week - also the best result.
