Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

'Flashmob' Parliament to show commitment to Smokefree 2025

Youth 'flashmob' Parliament to demonstrate commitment to Smokefree 2025

To celebrate YouthWeek 2016 students from Aotea College, Wellington East Girls College, Rongotai College and Waikato Tairawhiti Kohanga Reo gathered at Parliament today, demonstrating their commitment to being smokefree. Government’s commitment to making New Zealand a Smokefree nation by 2025 was made back in 2011. It’s now 2016 and government has still not produced a plan for how New Zealand will achieve that goal.

“If our Government is serious about making our nation smokefree by 2025, it should quit stalling key measures such as standardised packaging for tobacco, and come up with a national action plan. Why are we waiting?” said Smokefree Coalition Executive Director Dr Prudence Stone.

“We invited youth to come demonstrate to Government what true commitment looks like because after five years, our Government hasn't demonstrated enough.”

Around 4500 New Zealanders die every year from tobacco-related diseases. Around 300 of these deaths are caused by second-hand smoke alone. Students who gathered at Parliament today lay down in silence to commemorate these deaths.

“Young people are the Smokefree Generation,” said Aotea College Head Girl Joyce Soudachanh.

“The ‘daily’ smoking rate among Year 10s in New Zealand is just 3 percent. It’s never been that low, and 14 used to be the average age people took up smoking. But we’re not like generations before us. We’re smarter and the education around the harms of smoking is very strong.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“But while we aren't smoking, our whanau smoke around us. We are still at risk. That’s why we support the goal to make our nation smokefree.”

The percentage of Year 10s who have never smoked has increased every year since 2000. Now more than half of all Maori Year 10s and over 80 percent of all non-Maori Year 10s have never tried a single puff.

The Smokefree Coalition believes further measures need to be taken to create incentives for quitting and to control and reduce the supply of tobacco in New Zealand.

“When the Maori Affairs Select Committee held its Inquiry on the tobacco industry and the consequences of tobacco use for Maori, it made 42 recommendations including a date for when the nation would become Smokefree,” said Dr Stone.

“Researchers at University of Otago School of Public Health Medicine found there was progress made on only a handful of these recommendations. When so many lives are on the line every year, why does our Government drag its feet on tobacco control?”

Ends

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.