Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull said the council was in the early stages of investigating such a policy after a group of councillors and staff met the man who championed bans at the Nelson City Council and Marlborough District Council amid concern over the health impact of sugary drinks.
The meeting with Nelson Marlborough District Health Board principal dental officer Dr Rob Beaglehole attracted strong interest, and Mr Cull is writing to local health authorities to see if they would support the Dunedin City Council adopting a similar measure and banning sugary drinks from being sold at its venues and events.
If the Southern District Health Board, Public Health South and Otago Dental School supported such a policy, the issue would be taken back to the council for consideration.
Whether to include Forsyth Barr Stadium in the ban would need to be discussed, but Mr Cull believed it would be an option.
Asked whether banning sugary drinks would mean the council was interfering in people's right to choose, he said it was no different from making laws over access to alcohol.
He did not see a problem with having the council ''leading by example'' and no longer providing sugary drinks because of the harm they caused.
University of Otago nutritional scientist Dr Lisa Te Morenga was pleased with the proposal.
''I couldn't be happier,'' she said.
''Sugary drinks are just a source of extra calories in our diet and given that we are all getting fatter ... it's an obvious target.''
Dr Te Morenga did not believe it sent the right message, for example, that there were so many unhealthy options, including sugary drinks, at Moana Pool's vending machines.
''This is a public asset which is supposedly promoting healthy lifestyles, on the other hand selling the most rubbish food you can imagine.''
She also supported a ban at other public institutions, especially Dunedin Hospital, where sugary drinks could still be bought.
However, NZ Food and Grocery Council chief executive Katherine Rich, formerly of Dunedin, slammed the idea.
''The suggestion that sugary drinks would be banned in council buildings, including at Moana Pool and Forsyth Barr Stadium, doesn't follow much logic.
''They are talking about banning sugar in the form of fruit juice and carbonated drinks, while selling it in a solid form through ice creams and chocolates.
''Like many mothers who love to take their children to Moana Pool, it's a treat for my children to have a snack or drink after a day of swimming,'' she said.
