For sake of Maori children tobacco must go

Maori child lobby organisation Te Kahui Mana Ririki (TKMR) supports the Maori Affairs select committee enquiry into the impact of tobacco on Maori.

“For the sake of our children we support the prohibition of tobacco,” TKMR Chair Dr Hone Kaa said today.

“44% of Maori smoke and this means almost half our children are being raised in smoking households. We know that second hand smoke results in poor health outcomes for our young ones.

“Around a quarter of Maori SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) deaths are attributed to second hand smoke and smoking during pregnancy.

“I applaud MP Hone Harawira’s tenacity in relation to this issue. He comprehends the devastating impact that smoking has on our communities and how vulnerable our young ones are.

“Hone is quite rightly shifting the onus of responsibility for this most serious health issue away from Maori and onto tobacco companies.

“These huge multinationals are responsible for the deaths of many indigenous people.”

ENDS

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