World Smokefree Day: Protecting our Whare Tangata

The focus of World No-Tobacco Day (World Smokefree Day in New Zealand), is to protect women from the harm of tobacco marketing and smoking.

Mrs Turia wants to draw attention to the responsibility of all New Zealanders, to consider others around them, before they pick up a cigarette.

“Tangata whenua have often drawn on the symbolism of te whare tangata – to describe the vital role that women play in nurturing the future generations. It is timely then to remember the fundamental link between the health and wellbeing of our mothers and their children”.

“The World Health Organisation theme lends itself to us thinking about the damage caused from second-hand smoke, which places women and their unborn babies at risk; and also the harm caused to children who live in homes where there are adult smokers”.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of premature delivery, perinatal mortality, low birth weight and may cause a reduction in breast milk.

“I am particularly mindful of the high smoking prevalence amongst Maori women; a factor which has been highlighted during the current inquiry by the Maori Affairs Select Committee into tobacco issues” said Mrs Turia (note 1). "Tupeka Kore Aotearoa 2020/Tobacco Free New Zealand 2020 suggests that eradicating smoking from New Zealand is the single most important and attainable policy action to reduce inequalities in mortality for Maori and Pacific peoples".

Mrs Turia also referred to a study produced on Friday in the New Zealand Medical Journal which identified at least eight mechanisms used to market tobacco to New Zealand women (note 2).

“Advertisements brand certain cigarettes as being ‘light’, playing on appeals to concerns around weight or health’ or package them in a way which is designed to attract a female audience.

“The WHO theme in targeting the marketing strategies of the tobacco industry, alerts us to the ways in which advertisements may falsely link tobacco use with female beauty, including perpetuating a myth that smoking is a good way of keeping slim”.

The Associate Health Minister noted that the consultation process seeking feedback on a proposal to have all tobacco displays and products stored out of public view had closed on 21 May, and she looks forward to receiving the results from that consultation.

“We must do everything we can to help people quit smoking and to stop young people from being tempted to take up the habit” ended Mrs Turia.

"We know that if we must work on all fronts to achieve the vision laid out by the Smokefree Coalition "that future generations of New Zealanders will be free from exposure to tobacco products and will enjoy tobacco free lives".


Background Notes
1. After adjusting for age, Māori females were more than twice as likely, and Pacific females were over 25% more likely, to be current smokers than females in the total population (Tobacco Trends 2008)
2. Marketing tobacco to New Zealand women : 8 ways to reflect on World No Tobacco Day
3. Mrs Turia will be celebrating World Smokefree Day at the Launch of ‘Smoking Affects Lives’; today at 2pm; at Ngati Ruanui Tahua in Hawera.