Smokefree Law in New Zealand
Frequently asked questions

Part 4: Background Rationale for the Smoke-Free Law > Section H: Cost and Tobacco Control Strategy Issues

H1) Why is second-hand smoke considered a significant health risk?

H2) What are the health costs of smoking?

H3) What are the economic and other costs of smoking?

H4) What is the New Zealand Government doing about smoking?

H5) What is New Zealand’s reputation internationally, and with the new International Treaty on tobacco control?

You can download Part 4 in PDF format (119 kB) or Word format (110 kB).

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H1) Why is second-hand smoke considered a significant health risk?

Second-hand smoke is a combination of exhaled smoke from active smokers and the smoke coming from smouldering tobacco between puffs. Second-hand smoke contains the same toxic compounds as mainstream tobacco smoke, although in different relative amounts.

In the World Health Report 2002, the World Health Organization noted that exposure to second-hand smoke is associated with lower respiratory tract infections, sudden infant death syndrome, asthma, heart disease, glue ear, lung cancer and nasal-sinus cancer.

Recent research has estimated that 388 deaths are caused by exposure to second-hand smoke in New Zealand each year. Of these 388 deaths, 243 were attributed to heart disease, 88 to strokes, 50 to sudden infant death syndrome and seven to lung cancer. ¹

Research has also indicated that second-hand smoke results in a further 3700 hospital admissions for such conditions as chest infections, glue ear, heart disease and strokes, almost 15,000 episodes of childhood asthma, and 27,000 GP consultations annually. ²

In 1997, health economist Brian Easton estimated the total cost of tobacco smoking to New Zealand society in 1990 at $22.5 billion a year.

Hospitality workers are vulnerable because they are exposed to high levels of second-hand smoke on a daily basis. For example, a 2001 study found that New Zealand restaurant and bar workers faced up to 4.4 times the exposure to second-hand smoke than someone who lives with a smoker. ³

Studies in the United States and Europe have shown that restaurant workers’ exposure to second-hand smoke is up to two times higher than in office workplaces, and four to six times higher for bar workers. The risk of lung cancer has been estimated at 50 percent higher for hospitality workers. Self-reporting surveys of hospitality workers indicate 53 to 77 percent rates of respiratory and irritation symptoms associated with second-hand smoke exposure. ⁴


H2) What are the health costs of smoking?

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in New Zealand. Smoking kills an estimated 4700 deaths each year – about ten times the road toll.

Even non-smokers suffer health costs, because of the serious health hazard of second-hand smoke. It:

• kills an estimated 388 non-smokers each year, including about 100 workers exposed to SHS in their workplace (prior to enactment of the smokefree legislation), on top of the estimated 4700 deaths of smokers from smoking

• causes about 1700 annual hospital admissions for heart disease or stroke, almost 15,000 episodes of childhood asthma, more than 27,000 GP visits for asthma and other childhood respiratory problems, and about 50 newborn deaths due to SIDS (cot death).

H3) What are the economic and other costs of smoking?

Smoking costs all New Zealanders. It:

• costs a pack-a-day smoker about $3000 a year

• costs our health system over $200 million per year (1992 dollars) to treat smoking-related illnesses

• costs our society an estimated $22.5 billion per year

• results in lost productivity, less income for housing/nutrition/retirement savings, cleaning and replacement costs for clothes and furniture due to smoke smell

• deprives us of fathers, mothers, children, and close relatives, due to premature and avoidable tobacco-related deaths

• causes 31 percent of all Maori deaths, and threatens the continued whakapapa, leadership and passing on of Maori culture for Maori.

H4) What is the New Zealand Government doing about smoking?

New Zealand has developed a comprehensive strategy to reduce tobacco consumption and smoking rates, a strategy that is consistent with World Health Organization guidelines.

The main elements of New Zealand’s tobacco control strategy are:

• legislation (restricting the advertising, sale and use of tobacco products, and protecting public health through smokefree indoor workplaces)

• taxation (increasing the price of tobacco products, which is an extremely effective deterrent to smoking)

• health promotion (encouraging smokefree/auahi kore lifestyle as the norm, through changes in attitudes and behaviours)

• smoking cessation services (helping smokers to quit, with aids such as free phone counselling, and subsidised nicotine replacement therapy).

The tobacco control strategy has been effective in reducing the smoking rate in New Zealand by one third, to a current rate of about 25 percent.

The Government invests about $28 million annually in tobacco control, about half of which is invested in smoking cessation services to assist smokers to quit.

H5) What is New Zealand’s reputation internationally, and with the new international Treaty on tobacco control?

New Zealand is one of the world leaders in tobacco control, and the smokefree law confirms this. We are one of only a handful of countries (Ireland, Sweden, Norway) to provide smokefree indoor workplaces and hospitality venues without exceptions.

New Zealand was actively involved in negotiating the text of the new international convention on tobacco control (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control), and we were one of the first countries to sign up to it in June 2003.

New Zealand’s smokefree law anticipates the Framework’s acknowledgement of the health harms of second-hand smoke, and the desirability of taking steps to protect against it in indoor workplaces and indoor public places:

‘Parties recognise that scientific evidence has unequivocally established that exposure to tobacco smoke causes death, disease and disability’ (Article 8.1).

‘Each Party shall adopt and implement ... effective legislative, executive, administrative and/or other measures, providing for protection from exposure to tobacco smoke in indoor workplaces, public transport, indoor public places and, as appropriate, other public places’ (Article 8.2).

The Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Select Committee is currently considering New Zealand’s ratification of the treaty and will report back to Parliament on this.

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1 Woodward A, Laugesen M. 2000. Deaths in New Zealand Attributable to Second-hand Cigarette Smoke. Report to the Ministry of Health, September.

2 Woodward A, Laugesen M. 2001. Morbidity Attributable to Second-hand Cigarette Smoke in New Zealand. Report to the Ministry of Health.

3 Bates et al (ESR). 2001. Assessment of Exposures of New Zealand Hospitality Workers to Environmental Tobacco Smoke. March.

4 2001. Second-hand Smoke and Smoking Restrictions Within the Hospitality Industry. Report for the Ministry of Health, August.

Page last updated 29 June 2005