Looking back and planning ahead: the tobacco endgame and controlling tobacco industry interference in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

Smoking causes at least 16 different cancers and has resulted in persistent health inequities. Aotearoa New Zealand was initially a Tupeka Kore (Tobacco Free) nation and Māori leaders have led calls for measures that would end the harms smoking imposes. Their vision inspired a national movement and later saw a new law introduced that mandated denicotinisation, reduced the supply of tobacco, and introduced a smokefree generation. The National-led coalition Government repealed these measures, drawing on arguments often advanced by tobacco companies. Using the Policy Dystopia Model, we analysed tobacco industry narratives and reviewed politicians’ use of industry arguments. We found coalition Government members drew on prohibition and illicit trade arguments, which segued into public safety concerns, despite weak evidence for these claims. To protect innovative public health policies, we argue for stronger lobbying regulation to reduce tobacco companies’ ability to interfere with policy making and improve compliance with Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Stronger regulation of lobbying would protect critical public health policies that could profoundly reduce cancer rates from commercial interests.