New Zealand reverses landmark tobacco controls

Plans by the new government of New Zealand (Aotearoa) to abandon pioneering tobacco control measures have been condemned by the Māori health organisation Hāpai Te Hauora as an “unconscionable blow to the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders.”1 The abandoned measures include progressively raising the legal age of sale for tobacco products to create a smoke-free generation, reducing retail outlets, and removing nicotine from tobacco products.23 Smoking is both uniquely lethal and a key driver of health inequality worldwide.4 In particular, tobacco related deaths have a substantial role in the persisting life expectancy gap between Māori and other New Zealand people.5 Much of the momentum for decisive action to eliminate tobacco smoking came from Māori leaders, who called for a return to the country’s original tupeka kore (tobacco-free) status.1 Tobacco was introduced by European colonists, so smoking and the tobacco industry are seen as manifestations of colonisation.