Lobby group aspires to tobacco free NZ by 2025

A health researcher from Massey University is part of a group meeting in Wellington today who are lobbying for a tobacco-free New Zealand by 2025.

The group, which operates under the collective banner ASPIRE 2025, is hosting speakers from Australia to learn how state government over there have handled the removal of tobacco retail displays, and to consider the next steps in the fight against the tobacco epidemic in New Zealand.

The group includes the director of the Research Centre for Maori Health and Development, Professor Chris Cunningham. The centre, which is part of the University’s School of Public Health, is a founding member of ASPIRE 2025. Professor Cunningham is also a director of several organisations concerned with Maori health and is a trustee of smoking cessation agency, the Quit Group.

Last year he was appointed an independent advisor to the Maori Affairs Select Committee inquiry into the tobacco industry in Aotearoa and the consequences of tobacco use for Maori.

The select committee’s recommendation of a smoke-free New Zealand by 2025 is the aspiration and basis for the research collaboration, Professor Cunningham says.

“The collaboration represents an important partnership between academics, policy makers, community researchers and service providers,” he says.

Guest speakers, headlined by Action on Smoking and Health chief executive Anne Jones will outline how some Australian states have introduced smoke-free laws for cars carrying children; fire-safe cigarettes; smoke-free outdoor eating places and the banning of tobacco advertising and displays in retail outlets.

Retail tobacco displays are due to be removed in New Zealand under legislation passed this year that will come into effect by July 2012.

The seminar includes presentations from New Zealand researchers abut other possible measures that could be introduced in the retail environment – for example the wider retail availability of nicotine replacement therapy; and include discussion of the evaluation of the forthcoming removal of point of display sales.

Professor Cunningham and colleagues from Massey will be joined at the seminar by researchers from the University of Otago; Whakauae Research for Maori Health and Development and Tala Pasifika. Associated groups include the Health Research Council.