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Introduction
Approximately 650,000 New Zealand (NZ) adults (21%) were smokers in 2009 (Ministry of Health., 2010). In March 2011, the NZ government committed to the ambitious goal of reducing the prevalence of current smokers to less than 5% by 2025 (Health Promotion Agency, 2011). Furthermore, they want to achieve this for all population groups despite significantly higher prevalence amongst MÄori (indigenous New Zealanders) at 45%, Pacific peoples (31%) and those living in the most deprived neighbourhoods (38%) (Ministry of Health., 2009b). MÄori and Pacific peoples are over-represented among the lower socio-economic population compounding the barriers to quitting (Ministry of Health, 2006). In the year to July 2012, Quitline, New Zealand's national and largest smoking cessation provider, supported over 60,000 quit attempts: 20.5% made by MÄori clients and 5.3% by Pacific clients (Quitline, 2012). If these were single attempts by unique clients, at most 8% of MÄori smokers and 7% of Pacific smokers aged 16-64 (based on 2009 population estimates (Ministry of Health, 2010) used Quitline services in the last year.
In order to bring about a proportionately larger decrease in smoking prevalence for MÄori and Pacific peoples by 2025, more effective strategies for prompting cessation among these groups are needed. Understanding what motivates MÄori and Pacific peoples to stop smoking could inform policy and interventions, and enhance cessation advice. There have been few representative studies of attitudes and knowledge of smoking cessation amongst MÄori and Pacific people (Cowie et al., 2013; Glover, 2013; Glover & Kira, 2012; Grigg, Waa, & Bradbrook, 2008; Nosa et al., 2013). Two of the studies reported that health and cost were the two main reasons for MÄori quitting smoking. However, both studies pre-date many advancements in tobacco control in NZ such as the extension of smoking bans to all school environments (2004), and hotel bars and clubs (2004), the subsidisation of nicotine replacement products from 2000 and provision of government-funded cessation support from 1999. Bupropion (in 2009) and Varenicline (in 2011) also became heavily or partly subsidised.
Glover (2013) found that 25% of her MÄori participants wanted to stop smoking to be a better role model and so 'walk the talk' as the participants put it. Integrity (walking the talk) is highly...