Health Select Committee Releases Report On Smokefree Bill - Good News For Equity

Hāpai Te Hauora are pleased to see the recommendations in the Health Select Committee report on the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill released this week.

Selah Hart, Chief Executive Officer of Hāpai Te Hauora, says "this is a vital step towards equity and reducing the harm of tobacco among New Zealanders, especially for our most underserved populations, wāhine Māori, and Māori and Pasifika whānau in general."

The Bill, introduced in June this year, is due for its second reading on the 6 th of December and proposes three key measures to prevent tobacco harm. Its key aims are reducing supply and accessibility of tobacco, ensuring very low nicotine content of smoked tobacco products, and creating a Smokefree generation.

Hart says the recommendations are well aligned with the expectations of the public health sector and show a strong commitment to equity and harm reduction for Māori.

In particular, the report acknowledges the impact that this Bill will have by recommending the purpose statement specifically reflects our commitment to equitable health outcomes for Māori.

"We are pleased to see that the Health Select Committee has shown its support and listened to the submissions from our communities, who have long gone underserved and had little say in their own health outcomes. I am delighted that the Māori and Pacific voices that are now amplified are being heard," says Hart.

"The recommendations in this report show that we are serious about building on the mahi of those before us and getting us one step closer to a Smokefree 2025 for all New Zealanders."

The Health Select Committee Report recommends restricting the number of approved retailers to a maximum of 600 and introducing a maximum level of nicotine in smoked tobacco products at 0.8mg/g. It also recommends the implementation of a Smokefree generation, that aims to prevent young people born on or after January 1, 2009 from taking up smoking by prohibiting the sale of smoked tobacco products to them.

"The efforts so far, like the reduction by half in smoking prevalence over the last ten years among Māori, shows the progress that can be made when most at risk groups are prioritised. We need to continue to build on this success, and strong partnership with the established Smokefree Taskforce will be vital in the decision making and implementation process of these amendments.

"We are confident that the recommendations will begin to address the deadly addiction that has been sold to our people, and end the intergenerational harm to our whakapapa."

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