Health Coalition Aotearoa says it is an “indictment on our nation” for New Zealand to fall from second in 2023 to 53rd in a global study released today assessing the interference of the tobacco industry.
The 2025 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index outlined New Zealand’s “most deteriorated” and paper-thin protection against tobacco industry interference.
Health Coalition Aotearoa’s Smokefree Expert Advisory Group co-chair Professor Chris Bullen says the report shows the Government’s actions are far too closely aligned with the tobacco industry’s agenda.
“This report shows our Government blindly letting Big Tobacco waft back into New Zealanders’ lives despite decades of relentless work towards Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 goal. How many times do we have to remind the government that tobacco kills?” asks Bullen.
Despite overwhelming opposition from health experts, Māori health providers and other New Zealanders, in early 2024, the Government repealed crucial elements of the Smokefree Act, gave tax breaks to tobacco companies through the reduced excise tax on heated tobacco products, and continues to allow unregulated lobbying by the tobacco industry.
Bullen says, “We are the first country in the world that we’re aware of with a government that has reduced a tobacco tax. Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death in Aotearoa. Rolling back protections and bending to industry pressure is not just shameful, but harmful – it will have health consequences for many of New Zealand’s most vulnerable people.”
This report reflects the decades of progress dismantled by the current Government and sends a clear signal to New Zealand: tobacco industry priorities now outrank public health.
Health Coalition Aotearoa (HCA) is a coalition of member organisations committed to closing the health prevention gap in Aotearoa. HCA has been campaigning for tighter regulation of lobbying and industry influence on policy across all government sectors in its Level the Playing Field campaign since April 2025.
HCA works with the Cancer Society, ASPIRE Aotearoa research group, Public Health Communication Centre and Vape-Free Kids in a collaborative effort to increase transparency on tobacco industry lobbying and improve smoking and vaping cessation policy.