New Zealand Announces Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan

New Zealand is making history with the launch of a bold Smokefree Action Plan that aims to reduce daily smoking prevalence to less than 5 percent for all population groups across the country by 2025. 

The aim of the new plan is to eliminate inequities in smoking rates and smoking-related illnesses, ensure children never start smoking and remain smoke-free and increase the number of people who successfully quit smoking.

The action plan includes 6 focus areas to reduce the availability, addictiveness and appeal of smoked tobacco products.

Focus areas outlined by the Ministry of Health New Zealand:

1. Making sure there is leadership and decision-making across all levels of the action plan. As part of this focus area, we’re standing up a task force to make sure the action plan is on track to achieve the smoke-free goal for all.
2. Funding more health promotion and community activities to motivate and mobilise people across the country to get behind the smoke-free goal and to sign-post support for people on their quit journey.
3. Giving people the wrap-around support they need on their quit journey by investing in more tailored help such as a stop smoking service for Pacific communities.
4. Making it easier to quit and harder to become addicted by only having low-level nicotine smoked tobacco products for sale and restricting product design features that increase their appeal and addictiveness.
5. Making smoked tobacco products harder to buy by reducing the number of shops selling them and kickstarting a smoke-free generation.
6. Making sure the tobacco industry and retailers follow the law.