NZers have much to be proud of this World Smokefree Day

Associate Minister of Health, Hon Tariana Turia, is suggesting that New Zealanders have much to be proud of this World Smokefree Day (Tuesday 31 May 2011).

Mrs Turia has recently returned from Moscow, where she was invited to be a keynote speaker at the World Health Organisation Global Forum: Addressing the Challenges of Non-communicable Diseases.

“Speaking at the Global Forum was a significant honour in that it acknowledges the significant advances we have made in addressing tobacco related harms and the massive health inequalities that smoking brings” said Mrs Turia.

“Today is a great day to celebrate all those who have taken a major step forward in their life pathway, by eliminating tobacco from their lives” said Mrs Turia.

“I am also really proud that this Government has had the courage to consider many strategies and proactive interventions to make progress in making New Zealand a smoke-free nation by 2025”.

“It is great to see the Smoke-free Environments (Controls and Enforcement) Amendment Bill high on the order paper for consideration when Parliament resumes next week” said Mrs Turia.

“This is a very important bill in that it ensures that the marketing of tobacco products will be a much more difficult proposition for the tobacco industry. The Bill seeks to prohibit the display of tobacco products in shops; and makes it much more difficult for companies to enter into “covert sponsorship arrangements”.

“I hope that this Bill and progress we can make on other related measures such as plain packaging will help to reduce the uptake for children and young people to begin smoking” said Mrs Turia.

“But ultimately the greatest opportunity for making New Zealand smokefree resides with our families” said Mrs Turia. “Perhaps today – World Smokefree Day – will be marked by some families as the day their home became smokefree”.