Fears New Zealand will fall well short of Smokefree 2025 target

The report’s authors say the findings contribute to the Government’s Tobacco Free target, which is generally stated as a reduction in daily smoking prevalence to below 5% for all population groups, “unless there is a dramatic decline in the prevalence of smoking among Maori peoples in the Pacific…” He says it shows that it is very unlikely to be achieved. and people living in the poorest areas”.

Daily smoking prevalence continued its downward trend for both countries in 2023/24 maori (from 17.1% in 2022/23 to 14.7% in 2023/24) and Pacifica people (from 18.1% in 2021/22 to 12.3% in 2023/24).

But University of Otago public health professor Richard Edwards, one of the report’s authors, said given current trends, the daily smoking rate in neither would be 5 per cent or less by 2025.

Edwards said although there was only one year of data, “at this rate” New Zealand was no longer on track to meet the Tobacco Free 2025 target, which was “extremely disappointing” after 13 years of working towards the target.

He said the previous government’s plan to eliminate nicotine by “denicotinising” cigarettes and limiting the number of outlets selling tobacco was “world-leading” and a missed chance.

In February, Coalition Government He introduced the Smoke-Free Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill as part of his 100-day plan.

“This is the measures the Government has abandoned and when they talk about the ‘last push’ I would say, ‘You had every plan for the last push but you scrapped it’.”

Edwards, who is also co-chair of tobacco control researchers group Aspire Aotearoa, said getting 80,000 people to quit smoking was a “big ask”. About 20,000 to 40,0000 people quit smoking most years.

However, he said this could be possible because decotinization would not only keep many people away from smoking, but also reduce tobacco sales on the black market.

Edwards said robust policy measures were needed, otherwise the target may not be reached until 2027, and even longer for Māori and Pacifica populations.

“This would not only be disappointing, but truly disastrous for future health and the health of the public.”

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