Opinion: NZ is on the cusp of smokefree history, we should celebrate
But a pragmatic shift to safer and cheaper vapes has changed the trajectory. Vapes supply nicotine without the tar and toxins in tobacco smoke that kill over half the people who smoke long-term.
From around 2015, vaping started to gain traction – reaching 11% of adults by 2023 – coinciding with the sudden decline of smoking. The drop has been steepest for Māori, with the rates halving in six years. This progress is exceptional: it took Pākehā more than four decades to achieve the fall in smoking achieved by Māori since 2018.
However, despite this extraordinary progress, the narrative is framed as failure, eg 'Smokefree 2025 gone up in smoke, says health group' – referring to the repeal of the 2022 smokefree legislation.
It's true not everyone will reach 5% smoking by 2025. Māori women, who had the highest rates of smoking of any group, will reach the target by 2030, if current trends persist uninterrupted.
And we already have a smokefree generation – youth smoking has all but disappeared. Ash's Year-10 survey reports only 1% of 14- and 15-year-olds smoke daily, and young adults under 25 have seen rates tumble from 25% to just 4% over the past decade.
Vaping lowered the numbers of young people smoking, but it is still a valid concern.
Youth vaping is a valid concern. Even here, the data tell a nuanced story. Most youth vaping is experimental, not habitual.
A rapid rise in youth vaping occurred during the regulatory vacuum up until 2021, when long-overdue vaping regulations started to slow down uptake. So far, there is no evidence that teen vaping leads to smoking. With tighter regulation now coming into force and better youth education, young people can be safeguarded without undermining quitting efforts by adults who are at the highest risk.
Public distrust of the tobacco industry is justified. Yet many big tobacco companies now supply less harmful nicotine products, such as vapes and devices that heat, not burn, tobacco. The critical task is to regulate the industry, effectively enabling adult smokers to switch, while preventing youth uptake.
Looking towards the 5% target, approximately 80,000 more people must quit smoking. Traditional stop-smoking services lack the reach. What matters now is momentum: targeted media campaigns and community programmes tailored to high-risk groups; subsidised vapes and follow-up support for hospital patients over 45 with heart or lung disease; and bolstered GP-led cessation efforts.
Vaping has helped many – but it's not a silver bullet. We should also consider legalising and regulating synthetic-nicotine pouches, regarded as among the safest alternative products. Already available via the black market, bringing them under regulation would allow for quality control, responsible marketing and youth safeguards. Simultaneously, we must tighten restrictions on cigarettes – the most harmful product.
Even after reaching the target, approximately 200,000 New Zealanders will still be smoking. Above all, we need compassionate, stigma-free programmes and policies. We should not get distracted by a narrative of failure.
New Zealand is leading the world in reducing smoking. It's time to recognise our success – not only to celebrate, but to protect our gains, strengthen our commitment and inspire others to follow our lead.
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NZ Herald
3 days ago
- NZ Herald
Opinion: NZ is on the cusp of smokefree history, we should celebrate
Before 2018, we were way off course for the 2025 target; it was unlikely to be achieved until after 2040 – and beyond 2060 for Māori. But a pragmatic shift to safer and cheaper vapes has changed the trajectory. Vapes supply nicotine without the tar and toxins in tobacco smoke that kill over half the people who smoke long-term. From around 2015, vaping started to gain traction – reaching 11% of adults by 2023 – coinciding with the sudden decline of smoking. The drop has been steepest for Māori, with the rates halving in six years. This progress is exceptional: it took Pākehā more than four decades to achieve the fall in smoking achieved by Māori since 2018. However, despite this extraordinary progress, the narrative is framed as failure, eg 'Smokefree 2025 gone up in smoke, says health group' – referring to the repeal of the 2022 smokefree legislation. It's true not everyone will reach 5% smoking by 2025. Māori women, who had the highest rates of smoking of any group, will reach the target by 2030, if current trends persist uninterrupted. And we already have a smokefree generation – youth smoking has all but disappeared. Ash's Year-10 survey reports only 1% of 14- and 15-year-olds smoke daily, and young adults under 25 have seen rates tumble from 25% to just 4% over the past decade. Vaping lowered the numbers of young people smoking, but it is still a valid concern. Youth vaping is a valid concern. Even here, the data tell a nuanced story. Most youth vaping is experimental, not habitual. A rapid rise in youth vaping occurred during the regulatory vacuum up until 2021, when long-overdue vaping regulations started to slow down uptake. So far, there is no evidence that teen vaping leads to smoking. With tighter regulation now coming into force and better youth education, young people can be safeguarded without undermining quitting efforts by adults who are at the highest risk. Public distrust of the tobacco industry is justified. Yet many big tobacco companies now supply less harmful nicotine products, such as vapes and devices that heat, not burn, tobacco. The critical task is to regulate the industry, effectively enabling adult smokers to switch, while preventing youth uptake. Looking towards the 5% target, approximately 80,000 more people must quit smoking. Traditional stop-smoking services lack the reach. What matters now is momentum: targeted media campaigns and community programmes tailored to high-risk groups; subsidised vapes and follow-up support for hospital patients over 45 with heart or lung disease; and bolstered GP-led cessation efforts. Vaping has helped many – but it's not a silver bullet. We should also consider legalising and regulating synthetic-nicotine pouches, regarded as among the safest alternative products. Already available via the black market, bringing them under regulation would allow for quality control, responsible marketing and youth safeguards. Simultaneously, we must tighten restrictions on cigarettes – the most harmful product. Even after reaching the target, approximately 200,000 New Zealanders will still be smoking. Above all, we need compassionate, stigma-free programmes and policies. We should not get distracted by a narrative of failure. New Zealand is leading the world in reducing smoking. It's time to recognise our success – not only to celebrate, but to protect our gains, strengthen our commitment and inspire others to follow our lead.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Scoop
‘Paranoia And Misinformation Spread Faster Than Covid', Inquiry Told
Article – RNZ A lack of clear communication from the government may have contributed to the spread of Covid-19 misinformation in the Mori and Pasifika communities, the Royal Commission of Inquiry has heard. , Journalist A lack of clear communication from the government may have contributed to the spread of Covid-19 misinformation in the Māori and Pasifika communities, the Royal Commission of Inquiry has heard. Community and health leaders for Māori and Pasifika have spoken to the inquiry into the Covid-19 response about their struggles adapting to lockdown regulations. The third day of the week-long hearing took place in Auckland yesterday. This week's hearings are concentrating on the impact of the extended lockdown in Auckland and Northland in 2021, and on vaccine mandates and safety. Communication and information from health authorities during the lockdown was an issue, with community leaders highlighting that the language used when trying to inform their people about Covid and the vaccine was often very technical and difficult to understand. Reverend Victor Pouesi, from the Christian Church of Samoa in Manukau, said this may have contributed to the spread of misinformation, with many fearful of Covid-19 and vaccinations. 'People were looking for alternative sources of information other than the government, and that created a lot of problems. 'Paranoia and misinformation spread faster than Covid itself.' He said their church was able to livestream a broadcast with information from the government and social services to inform their community. Similar issues were faced by the Māori health and social services organisations that spoke to the commissioners. Hector Kawai – a director at Te Whānau o Waipareira, a health and social service provider in West Auckland – said online misinformation hampered vaccination efforts. 'Being on the front line we had a lot of whānau who came to us who were saying: 'Oh I don't want to put that poison in my body', you know? 'They had been seeing stuff which they had got from some quote – unquote Facebook expert,' he said. Raewyn Bhana, deputy director of Whanau ora community clinics, a healthcare provider that focuses on Maori health, said this misinformation often turned into conflict. Speaking to commissioners through an audio link, she talked about the protests at vaccination clinics. 'When we had our community, our pakeke (older adults), our kaumatua (elderly men) and kuia (elderly women) coming through it was quite fearful for them to be vaccinated when you've got protesters outside who were threatening our people who were coming through,' she said. Both parties told the commissioners that Māori-led solutions and initiatives had the best reach within their communities, often because Māori had a deep mistrust of government. Hector Kawai said kaupapa Māori led solutions like those offered by Te Whānau o Waipareira, did well to connect with Māori during the pandemic, but their work was not always well received. 'When we first came on to be an essential service I felt there was a certain amount of institutional racism, because of this you know 'oh there's just a bunch of Māoris out in the community' and the only ones who should be delivering out vaccinations and services should be doctors and nurses, but in fact we can do these sorts of things,' he said. 'People took your loved ones away' The difficulty Pasifika families faced around funerals during lockdowns was also highlighted yesterday. Penina Ifopo – a Samoan community leader in Manurewa – said his people struggled with government restrictions that limited how many people could attend funerals and how they were conducted. 'People took your loved ones away, put them in a house you had no idea of, they're alone in there. 'We have a spiritual connection with our loved ones and then you see the hearse taking them to be buried … it was very traumatising,' she said tearfully. 'We don't do counselling when it comes to funerals, the therapy is within us, it's our togetherness, it's both our Christian values together with our Samoan values.' Ifopo spoke of other difficulties faced in her community, particularly for households with families. She said many parents were not prepared and did not have the adequate tools for their children to do online learning. 'A lot of families were just living on data, there's no wifi at home,' she said. 'And also, you're lucky if there's a laptop, you'll find phones in every single home but no wifi and then parents just don't know what to do because they were having to be the teachers at the time.' Lack of hospitality from customers Meanwhile, a person working in the hospitality industry at the time of the lockdowns told the inquiry into the Covid response that she dealt with intimidating behaviour from customers. Jodie Rameka told the inquiry she felt like she was being blamed for customers needing to wear masks in her shop. 'Even having to ask them if they had a pass if they came in without a face mask, and just the reactions from a lot of the customers were very scary.' Rameka said she tried to sympathize with her customers. 'If I'm being honest, I rather them take it out on me than go and take it out on someone else,' she said. 'So I just took it.' Rameka said she changed her whole career because of the pandemic. Today the inquiry will focus on vaccine safety and will hear from advocacy groups.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Scoop
'Paranoia And Misinformation Spread Faster Than Covid', Inquiry Told
A lack of clear communication from the government may have contributed to the spread of Covid-19 misinformation in the Māori and Pasifika communities, the Royal Commission of Inquiry has heard. Community and health leaders for Māori and Pasifika have spoken to the inquiry into the Covid-19 response about their struggles adapting to lockdown regulations. The third day of the week-long hearing took place in Auckland yesterday. This week's hearings are concentrating on the impact of the extended lockdown in Auckland and Northland in 2021, and on vaccine mandates and safety. Communication and information from health authorities during the lockdown was an issue, with community leaders highlighting that the language used when trying to inform their people about Covid and the vaccine was often very technical and difficult to understand. Reverend Victor Pouesi, from the Christian Church of Samoa in Manukau, said this may have contributed to the spread of misinformation, with many fearful of Covid-19 and vaccinations. "People were looking for alternative sources of information other than the government, and that created a lot of problems. "Paranoia and misinformation spread faster than Covid itself." He said their church was able to livestream a broadcast with information from the government and social services to inform their community. Similar issues were faced by the Māori health and social services organisations that spoke to the commissioners. Hector Kawai - a director at Te Whānau o Waipareira, a health and social service provider in West Auckland - said online misinformation hampered vaccination efforts. "Being on the front line we had a lot of whānau who came to us who were saying: 'Oh I don't want to put that poison in my body', you know? "They had been seeing stuff which they had got from some quote - unquote Facebook expert," he said. Raewyn Bhana, deputy director of Whanau ora community clinics, a healthcare provider that focuses on Maori health, said this misinformation often turned into conflict. Speaking to commissioners through an audio link, she talked about the protests at vaccination clinics. "When we had our community, our pakeke (older adults), our kaumatua (elderly men) and kuia (elderly women) coming through it was quite fearful for them to be vaccinated when you've got protesters outside who were threatening our people who were coming through," she said. Both parties told the commissioners that Māori-led solutions and initiatives had the best reach within their communities, often because Māori had a deep mistrust of government. Hector Kawai said kaupapa Māori led solutions like those offered by Te Whānau o Waipareira, did well to connect with Māori during the pandemic, but their work was not always well received. "When we first came on to be an essential service I felt there was a certain amount of institutional racism, because of this you know 'oh there's just a bunch of Māoris out in the community' and the only ones who should be delivering out vaccinations and services should be doctors and nurses, but in fact we can do these sorts of things," he said. 'People took your loved ones away' The difficulty Pasifika families faced around funerals during lockdowns was also highlighted yesterday. Penina Ifopo - a Samoan community leader in Manurewa - said his people struggled with government restrictions that limited how many people could attend funerals and how they were conducted. "People took your loved ones away, put them in a house you had no idea of, they're alone in there. "We have a spiritual connection with our loved ones and then you see the hearse taking them to be buried ... it was very traumatising," she said tearfully. "We don't do counselling when it comes to funerals, the therapy is within us, it's our togetherness, it's both our Christian values together with our Samoan values." Ifopo spoke of other difficulties faced in her community, particularly for households with families. She said many parents were not prepared and did not have the adequate tools for their children to do online learning. "A lot of families were just living on data, there's no wifi at home," she said. "And also, you're lucky if there's a laptop, you'll find phones in every single home but no wifi and then parents just don't know what to do because they were having to be the teachers at the time." Lack of hospitality from customers Meanwhile, a person working in the hospitality industry at the time of the lockdowns told the inquiry into the Covid response that she dealt with intimidating behaviour from customers. Jodie Rameka told the inquiry she felt like she was being blamed for customers needing to wear masks in her shop. "Even having to ask them if they had a pass if they came in without a face mask, and just the reactions from a lot of the customers were very scary." Rameka said she tried to sympathize with her customers. "If I'm being honest, I rather them take it out on me than go and take it out on someone else," she said. "So I just took it." Rameka said she changed her whole career because of the pandemic. Today the inquiry will focus on vaccine safety and will hear from advocacy groups.
