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Tobacco Control and Smoking

Questions and Answers

What results are New Zealand anti-smoking campaigns achieving?

Tobacco consumption has reduced by a third in the last ten years. All New Zealand workplaces, including bars and restaurants, are now 100% smokefree, a change that has wide public support.

Social marketing campaigns have proved successful in ensuring that smokefree messages reach the community at all levels, including the smokefree homes campaign. A report released last year 'After the Smoke Has Cleared: Evaluation of the Impact of a New Smokefree Law' showed more than 90% of Kiwis now live in smokefree homes. In 2003, 59% of Māori households with one or more smokers and one or more children were smokefree, increasing to 74% in 2006. This compares to 65% of similar non-Maori households in 2003 to 68% in 2006.

Many public outdoor public places, including many major stadia are choosing to go smokefree. Some Councils such as South Taranaki and Upper Hutt have made the decision to make their parks and playgrounds smokefree to help denormalise the behaviour. Research shows the less children see smoking around them, the less likely they are to start.

Who is giving up smoking, and what groups are struggling to do so?

A Ministry of Health publication Tobacco Trends 2006 found that the highest smoking prevalence is among young New Zealanders aged between 15 and 29 years old, with almost one in every four teenagers aged 15 to 19 years currently smoking. The prevalence of current smokers in New Zealand is around 23.5% of the total population, with Māori (45%) and Pacific people (37%) having higher rates of smoking that other New Zealanders. 50% of Māori women are currently smokers. Tobacco Trends 2006 also found about 19% of people currently identifying themselves as ex-smokers, with a large proportion of them quitting smoking once they hit the age of 40.

Why are people still smoking despite the warnings?

There is a range of reasons that people continue to smoke. The main reason is that nicotine is a hugely addictive substance and once people start smoking it is difficult to quit. The amount of nicotine in cigarettes is carefully adjusted to maintain the addiction. People need to be aware of the very serious risks associated with smoking. Research shows that many smokers still greatly underestimate the risks of smoking, and are unaware of some of the risks of smoking such as it can cause impotence and blindness. On 28 February 2008, regulations came into force requiring large pictorial health warnings to appear on all tobacco products sold in New Zealand. The new warnings show the kinds of damage that smoking can do to the human body. The Ministry of Health believes these new pictorial warnings, as opposed to text only warnings, will better inform smokers and those considering smoking of the risks they face.

What impact has the smokefree legislation had in New Zealand?

The Smokefree Environments Amendment Act 2003 has been beneficial for all New Zealanders.

One of the aims of the law change was to reduce second-hand smoke exposure among the workforce in indoor places, like bars, pubs and restaurants. Prior to the Smokefree Environments Amendment Act, over 20% of the adult workforce was exposed to second-hand smoke in indoor workplaces. That figure has now reduced to 8%.
A report entitled 'After the Smoke Has Cleared: Evaluation of the Impact of a New Smokefree Law' was commissioned by the Ministry of Health and released in December 2006. It showed that nine out of ten New Zealanders support the right to live and work in a smokefree environment. In 2001, only six out of ten New Zealanders supported imposing a ban in restaurants and this increased to about 73% in December 2004, just as the Act came into force. That has now climbed to a whopping 90% since then. Smokers themselves have also increased their support for smokefree bars, pubs and restaurants and social smokers are reporting smoking less when going out to bars, pubs and nightclubs than they did prior to the law change.

What more is being done/needs to be done?

It is important to ensure that New Zealand has comprehensive tobacco control legislation and continues to keep up with international best practice. Strengthening effective smoking cessation services is a key priority to ensure that smokers are prompted and supported to quit.

In early 2008, text warnings on cigarette packets were replaced by large pictorial warnings covering 30% of the front of the packet and 90% of the back of packs. The pictorial warnings include pictures of diseased lungs, gangrenous toes and rotting teeth and gums. They are designed to inform people that smoking kills and causes serious illness.

Hon Damien O'Connor, the Associate Minister of Health, has asked the Ministry of Health to provide advice on tobacco product point of sale display issues. The Ministry has just completed a public consultation process asking for submissions on its Review of Tobacco Displays in New Zealand: Consultation Document. Submissions closed on Friday 15 February and the Ministry received over 200 submissions.

The Ministry of Health will now carefully consider and analyse the submissions received before providing advice to Government later in 2008. This advice will take into account the information contained in the submissions.

What are the best methods of quitting?

The Ministry of Health funds a range of initiatives and smoking cessation programmes to help further reduce smoking prevalence in New Zealand. Subsidised nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is available for between $10 and $20 for an eight-week supply.

Cessation services include, Quitline (0800 778 778), a freephone service that provides counselling and offers NRT to those attempting to give up. Aukati Kai Paipa, a face to face service developed specifically to meet the needs of Māori women and their whanau, as well as a range of other primary health care providers, for example, Primary Health Organisations (PHOs), General Practitioners, and Pacific Health Services.

How dangerous is second-hand smoke?

Second-hand smoke contains cancer-causing and toxic substances such as acetone (paint stripper), ammonia (toilet cleaner), hydrogen cyanide (rat killer), DDT (insecticide) and carbon monoxide (car exhaust fumes). Second-hand smoke is the leading environmental cause of preventable death in New Zealand and it has been estimated that about 350 people are killed each year by other peoples tobacco smoke. Many people exposed to second-hand smoke experience eye irritation, headache, cough, sore throat, dizziness and nausea. Adults who have never smoked and who live with smokers have a 15% higher risk of death than those living in a smokefree household.

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Page last updated: 27 February 2008