The overall daily smoking rate for Māori is now at a low of 19.9%, down from 22.3% in the 2020/21 year. Photo / File
The numbers of people smoking each day in Aotearoa has dropped to an all-time low of 8 per cent of adults, down from 9.4 per cent a year ago, according to new data from Statistics New Zealand.
56,000 people have dropped the durries in the past year with Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall saying the new numbers are an endorsement on the government's plan to have fewer than 5 per cent of adults smoking by 2025.
"Despite the pressures and stress of the pandemic, smoking rates are now half of what they were 10 years ago,” Verrall says.
“I’m really pleased to see the downward trend continue especially given other countries saw an uptick in their smoking rates during lockdowns."
Verrall says one of the fastest cessation rates is for wāhine Māori, a quarter of whom have quit in the last 12 months, bringing total numbers down from 24.1 per cent last year to 18.2 per cent in 2022.
“The Government has made stop smoking services more accessible and introduced Māori and Pacific services and funded more health promotion." Verrall says.
"We know these policies are leading to more quit attempts, with roughly 84,000 people attempting to quit smoking in the past 12 months."
The overall daily smoking rate for Māori is now at a low of 19.9 per cent, down from 22.3 per cent in the 2020/21 year.
Co-design Quit programmes with Māori who have used services in the past provide first-hand knowledge of which support and intervention work is successful according to Verrall.
“Smoking rates are plummeting and our goal of being smokefree by 2025 is within reach." she says.
Verrall says she hopes to have smokefree legislation passed by the end of the year which will decrease the number of retail outlets able to sell tobacco, alongside reducing the level of nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels and ensuring future generations will not be able to buy tobacco, by raising the age of purchase on an annual basis.
“It’s never too late to quit smoking, get in touch with Quitline or your local stop smoking provider and start your journey today,” Dr Verrall said.
“Congratulations to the 56,000 people who quit and remained smokefree in the last year despite its many challenges."
