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In one of its first acts, the new Government announced its intention to repeal the 2022 Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Act (SERPA) and overturn its three key measures: mandated de-nicotinisation of smoked tobacco to make it non-addictive, a 90% reduction in the number of tobacco retailers and protecting future generations by ending tobacco sales to anyone born after 1 January 2009.
This action has aroused huge controversy locally and internationally. For example, Professor Boyd Swinburn, co-chair of the Health Coalition Aotearoa, commented: "This is a major loss for public health and a huge win for the tobacco industry-whose profits will be boosted at the expense of Kiwi lives."1 Indeed, the Government's action is nothing short of deliberate public health vandalism.
Our legislation created one of the most comprehensive and rigorous strategies in the world to address the tobacco epidemic.2 Modelling studies suggest the measures, with mandated de-nicotinisation being particularly pivotal, will result in profound, rapid and equitable reductions in smoking prevalence, substantial reductions in deaths and disease and huge savings in healthcare costs.3 The new Government's decision to rescind these measures will result in more cancer, more heart attacks and stroke, more incurable lung disease and more cot deaths than would otherwise occur. It will create and increase health inequities because smoking and smoking-related diseases place a disproportionate burden on Maori and Pacific peoples.45
So, what lessons can we learn, and is there any light at the end of the tunnel?
The first lesson is that the coalition Government attaches a low priority to improving health through prevention or addressing health inequity.
The National Party pre-election policy priorities include this statement: "National is working closely with women's health organisations to develop policies in the key areas that New Zealanders have told us really matter to them - that includes the prevention [our emphasis] and treatment of women's cancers."6 Evidently, it is not working to prevent lung cancer, the commonest cause of cancer death among women,7 or any of the other nine cancers caused by smoking.8 The Government appears wholly unconcerned about promoting a fairer society by addressing health inequities, given smoking contributes around a quarter of the life expectancy gap for Maori and Pacific peoples compared to non-Maori, non-Pacific peoples.5
Nicola Willis, the...