Smokefree Aotearoa Action Plan

In 2011, following a Māori Affairs select committee inquiry, New Zealand set a goal to reduce daily smoking to below 5% for all population groups by the end of 2025. In 2021, the Labour-led government’s Smokefree Action Plan introduced three key measures: a generational ban on tobacco sales to anyone born after 2008, a sharp cut in tobacco retailers, and a 95% reduction in nicotine in cigarettes. Daily smoking fell from 16.4% in 2011/12 to 6.8% in 2024. In early 2024, the National-led coalition repealed the Labour government’s measures, citing concerns around implementation.