Nancy Loucas, co-founder of the Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA), has commended New Zealand's successful implementation of its Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) strategy, which is helping the country move closer towards achieving its "Aotearoa 2025" goal. Loucas made these remarks after the government released statistics showing that the smoking rate in New Zealand had dropped to a historic low of 8% among adults who smoke daily, down from 9.4% a year earlier.
The AVCA was established in 2016 by electronic cigarette users from various parts of New Zealand who hoped to have their voices heard by local and central governments. All members are former smokers who advocate for electronic cigarettes as a less harmful alternative to combustible tobacco products to help smokers quit. The AVCA has no affiliations or vested interests with the tobacco, pharmaceutical, or local electronic cigarette manufacturing or retail industries.
The smoking rate in New Zealand is now half of what it was 10 years ago. In just the past year, there has been a decrease of 56,000 smokers. Considering the added pressure of the pandemic and increasing living costs, this is truly great news," said Ms. Lucas.
It is noteworthy that the overall daily smoking rate for Maori people is as low as 19.9%, compared to 22.3% in the 2020/21 period. Meanwhile, 8.3% of adult New Zealanders now use e-cigarettes daily.
The AVCA stated that the government has performed well in making smoking cessation services more accessible and introducing tailor-made Maori and Pacific services. A key component is trustworthiness.
During the Covid lockdown and restrictions, smoking rates have increased in other countries, but New Zealand has once again gone against the trend. This is because our Ministry of Health and healthcare providers have adopted a Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) strategy, encouraging smokers to see e-cigarettes as a safe and highly effective tool for quitting smoking," Ms. Loucas explained.
The AVCA is confident that New Zealand can achieve a smoke-free status by 2025.
Another push towards the national goal, spanning over a decade, will be the creation of smoke-free environments through the amendment of regulations on tobacco products (smoking tobacco). The Health Special Committee in parliament will submit a report by December 1st.
Dr. Ayesha Verrall, Deputy Minister of Health, aims to pass smoke-free legislation by the end of the year. This will reduce the number of retail stores able to sell tobacco, decrease the appeal of cigarettes, and ensure that the next generation never sells tobacco.
Dr. Verrall is a staunch advocate for using THR methods to reduce deadly smoking. She recently stated, "We need to continue supporting smokers to successfully switch to less harmful products... Smoking rates are decreasing in a linear fashion. Achieving our goal of a smoke-free society by 2025 is feasible.
New Zealand is showcasing to the world how to achieve a smoke-free environment. These latest statistics further prove that countries adopting tobacco harm reduction strategies have ultimately saved many lives," summed up Nancy Loucas.
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