It is healthy and children love it - so it is obviously not vegetables.

Walking school buses are a huge hit and an Auckland Regional Council study shows they could be a great start to solving New Zealand's obesity problem.

A third of primary school children are overweight and do not exercise much. However, an Auckland Regional Council study shows walking school buses are changing children's attitudes towards walking and physical activity in general.

Researcher Dr Pat Neuwelt says that is mainly because kids think the buses are fun. She says cities should be focusing on encouraging walking, by making roadways safer for pedestrians, especially children.

She says parents whose children use the walking buses are finding they want to walk to other places around the neighbourhood too.

Three thousand children and 1500 volunteer adults belong to Auckland's 180 walking school buses.