Hon Tariana Turia
Associate Minister of Health

13 March 2014

Associate Minister of Health welcomes the ASH Year 10 Survey which shows a decline in youth smoking

Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia welcomes the latest ASH Year 10 Survey results which shows a continual decline in youth smoking.

The Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Year 10 smoking survey shows daily smoking results (those who smoke at least once a day) and regular smoking results each year for students in Year 10 across the country.

“Only 3.2 per cent of Year 10 students are smoking daily in 2013 compared with 4.1 per cent in 2012. This is great news. I am proud that our rangatahi are making conscious positive decisions for their futures by choosing not to smoke. That is awesome,” says Minister Turia.

“I am particularly pleased that smoking amongst Maori Year 10 is also continuing to show rapid decline. Daily smoking amongst Maori Year 10 has declined to 8.5% in 2013 compared to 26.9% in 2003 and 30.3% in 1999. Regular smoking is also well down for Maori Year 10. For 2013 the figure for Maori Year 10 is 14.7% compared to 20.9% in 2010, 23.3% in 2009 and 42.8% in 1999.”

“This is great progress and I congratulate the rangatahi themselves for making the right choice as well as all those who have worked to end the sale and consumption of this dangerous product in our country.”

“We cannot afford to be complacent even with these positive results. We must continue to do everything we can through proactive lobbying, cessation support, excise taxes, plain packaging and other legislation to ensure that we send a clear message to tobacco companies. We want to rid our country of this product that kills 13 New Zealanders a day and 5000 of us each year. I look forward to the day we reach our goal of becoming a Smokefree Aotearoa-New Zealand by 2025.”

ENDS

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