‘Absolutely ludicrous’: Casey Costello defends plunge in global tobacco control ranking
Associate health minister Casey Costello has labelled New Zealand’s recent plummet in global tobacco control as “ridiculous” and “ludicrous”.
It comes after the country plummeted from second in the world in 2023 to 53rd in the 2025 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index.
The main factors damaging New Zealand’s standing are the repeal of the smokefree generation laws, the tax break benefiting tobacco giant Philip Morris and the movement of staff between politics and the lobbying industry.
Let me see if I can get this complete fucking straight.
The Associate health Minister, Casey Costello, calls us plunging from 2nd to 53rd in global tobacco control rankings is, and I quote, ‘ridiculous’ and ‘ludicrous’.
Really?
The Associate health Minister, who was previously a consultant for Big Tobacco interests…
The Role of tobacco interests in making government policy
…and who was specifically targeted as a NZF asset…
Costello brushes off revelation tobacco giant Philip Morris targeted NZ First
to push through $300m in tobacco subsidies…
A tobacco product tax cut slated for one year has been extended by two
…while using underhand methods to hide Big Tobacco talking points…
Costello found “independent advice” that she preferred
…THAT ASSOCIATE HEALTH MINISTER, is now describing our plunge in global rankings as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘ludicrous’.
Are you Kiwis even paying fucking attention to this?
A Tobacco pimp who was purposely placed inside NZF to protect their interests and who has delivered them $300m in subsidies is running our public health campaign which is now failing?
FFS.
If the Left had done anything like this, it would be on endless media loops with the ZB Troll farm screaming for revenge attacks, yet this tobacco pimp gets away scot free.
The shit you are all prepared to collectively wear to own Jacinda, da Maaaares, da Trans and da vaccines is truly remarkable you ignorant rednecks.
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Another law NZ FIRST SHOULD REPEAL ,but they wont be in government after the next election so wont need to be concerned about that and every other shit law they have enabled .
Yes, and what Costello failed to mention in her talk on RNZ the other day was the increased uptake of vaping, and we now have non- smokers vaping when they never smoked and many young people vaping, not good.
I see she spoke up proudly about supporting the Regulatory standards bill and yet her boss has now poo pooed it, making a mockery of her and her speech. How the fuck did she get that job of arrrss so c it minister of health she has no qualification for this role, and it shows.
I get annoyed that vaping is considered to be giving up smoking also. They are still addicting people to nicotine and only the delivery method is different. They hope that the vapor is not as dangerous as smoke although we don’t have any long term reliable evidence for that yet, that is a poor excuse for encouraging the practice in my view although feelings seem to be all the evidence that many people need so I don’t expect common sense to prevail anytime soon.
Casey, those words describe you and your cancer stick policies…”‘ridiculous’ and ‘ludicrous’.”
I’d add, your face is not a great advertisement for smoking. Not yet 60 yet your chronological age looks 10 years older.
Hobson Pledges people for yah Bomber not only are they fucken despicable acolytes Maori hating scum sucking bottom feeders they’re also corrupt to the core
Is there no end to the fools in this CoC? Every day someone stuffs up horribly then feigns their disbelief at the consequences. Costello found it ludicrous – again it shows her thick skin and absolute denial. Have they all been vaccinated with the same potion or are they just stupid and arrogant people who shouldn’t ever have been elected? Can’t believe they were the best they could find, but in thinking again – yes because they are all Me Me Me people led my the same sort of person. And yes Martyn, had the Left done even 10% of the atrocities of this lot our media would have destroyed them. What is going on here? How many back-handers are taking place? Surely, no government could be this amateurish and thick to boot – they are definitely the loonies in the asylum. And they had, and still have, the effrontery to criticise Jacinda. It’s laughable since they are such a tragic shambles.
The hair colour tells me that poor old Casey fails to look in the mirror and doesn’t move with the times. She’s a ludicrous and ridiculous old dinosaur who really needs to lose the black wig. Winston has a good hairdresser.
Casey doesn’t face facts and the facts are that we were doing ok with smoke-free and she singlehandedly dismantled it, taking us backwards like the rest of them in this shambles of a CoC. Does she think no-one noticed that dishonesty?
She’s as compromised as she can be and Winston thinks they are electable. He must be joking.
She’s as unappealing as an ashtray full of dirty old butts.
I’m waiting for our rankings in the corruption index to plummet the same.
The problem is the Corruption Perceptions Index is based on perception, not reality.
And NZ must be the most naive developed country in the world.
These people are just as rotten as anything the US GOP can churn out.
You’re right about the rottenness of this govt. The ‘few bad apples’ have exploded into a whole government-full as well.
I got an awful shock to realise the stink of corruption is as bad here as anywhere. They sicken me.
I stupidly thought we were better. This govt. proves we are not.
Yes and sadly it is the women who are leading the way on being hateful .Not one of them has a single strand of empathy for anyone .I miss the caring Jacinda who though she may have had some faults she really cared for the people of NZ the whole 5 million even those that hated her because that is the person she is .
Jacinda saved 20k lives Casey wants to kill those people now .
Casey is saying the result is ludicrous because people consider the plunge is bad! It’s not bad!! It’s a win for the tobacco industry, whose interests she not so all secretly represents. She succeeded.