The head of the New Zealand based Tonga Advisory Council, Melino Maka, says education is the best strategy for addressing obesity in the region.
He says the rise in obesity in Tonga and other parts of the Pacific cannot be blamed on the fatty meat cuts exported from New Zealand.
Earlier this week the New Zealand Government rejected a parliamentary health select committee recommendation that the export be phased out or banned for the good of people's health.
The Chief Medical Officer of Health in Tonga, Dr Malakai Ake, called the decision disappointing and says the meats are being dumped on the Pacific.
But Melino Maka says resources need to be directed into educating consumers about health issues and insuring they are better informed.
