Aotearoa's Smokefree ambition at risk

“A few years ago, Aotearoa New Zealand’s approach was world-leading. Now, government policy is setting new generations up for smoking addiction and life-threatening health issues,” says Dr Hamish McCay, Aotearoa New Zealand President of the The Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

"This data is a stark warning that Aotearoa New Zealand's progress in reducing smoking is faltering," says Vincent So, CEO of peak respiratory body, the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ).

For the first time in a decade, the daily smoking rate has plateaued at 6.9 per cent, a negligible change from the previous year's 6.8 per cent indicates data from the latest New Zealand Health Survey from the Ministry of Health New Zealand.

Jointly with the TSANZ, we are calling for urgent re-evaluation of current policies. Without decisive, evidence-based action, the country risks undoing years of progress in tobacco harm reduction. 

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