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The New Zealand government has set an aspiration goal for New Zealand to become a smokefree nation by 2025 (New Zealand Parliament, 2011). To achieve this, about 650,000 current smokers -- 21% of adults aged 15 years and over -- will need to stop smoking, smoking initiation will need to be curbed, and tomorrow's smokers will also need to quit. This could be harder to achieve for some groups whose smoking rates are extraordinarily high. About half of MÄori (Indigenous New Zealanders) females smoke (49.3% vs. males 40.2%) and about a third of NZ-resident Pacific Island people (females 28.5%, males 32.3%) smoke. Smoking consumption and prevalence rates are declining more slowly for MÄori (Ministry of Health, 2010). One reason for this could be that MÄori (32.2%) and Pacific Island (15.6%) smokers are accessing smoking cessation (cessation) services at a lower rate than NZ European/others (PÄkehÄ) (43%; Ministry of Health, 2010).
New Zealand runs a comprehensive tobacco control program, including annual increases in the excise tax on tobacco, mass media campaigns to prompt quitting and reduce smoking initiation by children, restrictions on tobacco product marketing and point of sale displays, restrictions on supply to minors, and extensive bans on smoking in indoor and some outdoor environments. A significant focus is on provision of cessation services ($10.9 million in 2009-2010) and subsidising nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) at a cost of $8.5 million (MÄori Affairs Committee, 2010). 'Better help for smokers to quit' is one of six health targets for district health boards (DHBs) that requires 95% of hospitalised smokers to be given advice and help to quit smoking by 2012 (Ministry of Health, 2011). The ABC approach to cessation ( Ask all patients about their smoking status; give all smokers Brief advice to stop smoking; and offer evidence-based Cessation support; McRobbie et al., 2008) is widely practised in hospitals and is being rolled out in primary care settings. It has also been trialled among allied health professionals and social service providers, particularly those reaching MÄori (Tane & Minnell-Robertson, 2011).
Towards the Smokefree 2025 goal, the government intends to implement or consider: reorienting cessation services to ensure the range and reach are increased; improving access to NRT by...