Celebrating steps towards Smokefree 2025 is how leading
Māori public health agency, Hāpai Te Hauora, is greeting
the passing of the new Smokefree legislation. The
legislation aims to support people trying to quit smoking
and make it less likely that young people will get addicted
to cigarettes and live with the life-long consequences of
tobacco-related harm.
Hāpai Te Hauora Chief Executive
Officer Selah Hart would like to acknowledge and
congratulate Hon. Minister Dr. Verrall for bringing this
legislation to fruition, after years of advocacy from
whānau, hapu, iwi and academics.
In 2010, the Māori
Affairs Select Committee carried out an inquiry into the
tobacco industry and the effects of tobacco use among
Māori.
Their report made 42 recommendations,
including setting a goal of making Aotearoa a Smokefree
nation by 2025, reducing the use of additives and nicotine
in tobacco products, and restricting the supply and
availability of tobacco.
“Twelve years later, we
finally have a government and a Minister, Hon. Minister Dr.
Ayesha Verrall, with the political will and the
determination to make this happen,” says Hart.
Hart
says many public health advocates such as Hāpai Te Hauora
had long struggled to compete against the deep pockets and
political influence of the tobacco industry and its
supporters.
“The link between smoking and lung cancer
was established in the early 1950s, yet even now people are
still arguing for the right to profit from a product that
kills about 5,000 New Zealanders every year and severely
damages the health of many thousands more.”
Hart said
the Bill is an investment into population-based intervention
instead of the historic focus on individual behaviour
changes. This recognises the structural and environmental
causes for smoking rates, and acknowledges the
responsibility the government has for public
health.
“Despite strong support from individual
politicians, including Helen Clark during her time as Health
Minister and ngā rangatira Dame Tariana Turia and Hone
Harawira, it has taken far too long to get to where we stand
today,” says Ms. Hart.
“The whakapapa of this kaupapa
is long and prestigious, and we thank those that have worked
tirelessly before us to get us to this point. This
world-leading legislation has the potential to offer
direction for Indigenous people internationally who want to
address similar disproportionate health
inequities.”
Hart cautioned that while the new
legislation was a significant step forward, a lot of work
was still required to achieve its objectives, including
continuing to work with priority groups to meet individual
needs of whānau who are trying to quit.
“The
legislation and the regulations are necessary, and they will
help, however we also need to build on existing supports
that include Māori and community led health promotion and
activation. Māori, Pacific, wahine hapū, rangatahi, and
disability groups need to be prioritised and empowered to
design and implement solutions with the necessary
resources.”
“All our efforts to this point have been
building towards eliminating inequity and harm caused by
smoking, and this Bill adds strength and purpose to our
ongoing progress. We need to maintain that momentum – we
can’t afford to slow down.”
“It’s now time to
optimise the successes we’ve had this far, so let’s make
this
count.”
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