New Zealand Punished By WHO For Achieving Exactly What FCTC Treaty Mandated

Thursday, 18 December 2025, 8:16 am
Press Release: CAPHRA

Whilst FCTC punishes New Zealand with "Dirty Ashtray," evidence-based harm reduction leaders awarded internationally - showing global divide between ideology and public health

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) highlights a striking contrast in recent recognition of New Zealand's tobacco control work: whilst the WHO FCTC awarded New Zealand the "Dirty Ashtray" in November for pursuing harm reduction, internationally-recognised tobacco control leaders from Action for Smokefree 2025 (ASH NZ) have been simultaneously awarded for their evidence-based advocacy.

Ben Youdan, spokesperson for ASH NZ, was awarded the prestigious Orchid Award at the 2025 E-Cigarette Summit in the UK for his work "fighting the monsters undermining trust in public health" - a clear reference to the ideological opposition to harm reduction that has captured FCTC institutions.

"This juxtaposition is perfect," said Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA. "The FCTC punishes New Zealand for achieving 6.8% smoking rates through harm reduction. Meanwhile, international public health leaders recognise our advocates for defending evidence-based policy against ideological capture. This shows the world is splitting into two camps: those pursuing public health outcomes, and those pursuing pharmaceutical and billionaire interests."

The data supporting New Zealand's approach is unambiguous. Since implementing regulated access to vaping for adult smokers:

- Adult smoking rates: Collapsed from 16.4% (2011/12) to 6.8% (2023/24) - a 60% reduction

- Youth smoking rates: Now negligible, down from 19.2%

- Youth vaping rates: Have halved in just two years; not "cool" amongst teenagers

- Māori health equity progress: Smoking amongst Māori women reduced from 40.6% to 14.8%

These are real lives saved, real people who switched from combustible tobacco to safer alternatives or quit nicotine entirely. The policy works.

Yet the FCTC's position remains that this success is an "industry narrative" to be condemned, whilst countries with dramatically higher smoking rates receive international praise for making "uncompromising statements against the tobacco industry."

"The FCTC's own founding treaty - Article 1(d) - explicitly defines tobacco control as encompassing harm reduction," explained Loucas. "New Zealand implemented this strategy. We achieved measurable success. Now we're attacked. This reveals the FCTC has abandoned its original mandate.

The Orchid Awards given to Ben Youdan and the broader recognition of New Zealand's harm reduction success by international public health leaders marks a crucial turning point in global tobacco control. It reveals two distinct camps:

One camp pursues measurable public health outcomes. These countries - New Zealand, Sweden, the UK, Japan - have achieved dramatic smoking reductions through evidence-based harm reduction. Their leaders are recognised internationally for defending science against ideology.

The other camp controls FCTC institutions through captured funding mechanisms. Michael Bloomberg has committed £1 billion to global tobacco control, dwarfing the FCTC's £12 million annual budget. At least 15 of 29 NGOs admitted to COP11 received Bloomberg funding. Pharmaceutical companies manufacture nicotine replacement therapy and fund NGOs opposing vaping - creating perverse financial incentives where these organisations profit from smoker “failure”, not success.

This second camp controls FCTC messaging, which is why countries achieving the best public health outcomes are punished, whilst countries resisting evidence-based policy receive praise.

CAPHRA's analysis poses a critical question to all FCTC member states: “What is the value of remaining in an international organisation that contradicts the treaty you signed, contradicts global public health evidence, and contradicts the recognition of your own tobacco control leaders?”

New Zealand faces this directly. ASH NZ and Dr Marewa Glover are internationally recognised for harm reduction advocacy. New Zealand's smoking rates are amongst the world's lowest. Youth vaping rates are declining. Smoking amongst Māori is plummeting. By every objective measure, the strategy is working.

Yet the FCTC - which New Zealand signed because Article 1(d) explicitly includes harm reduction - now attacks New Zealand for implementing that very strategy.

This is not a disagreement about tactics. This is institutional contradiction of the kind that destroys credibility and legitimacy.

"The Orchid Award is a statement from the global public health community that New Zealand is pursuing the right path, and that the FCTC's opposition to harm reduction is fundamentally wrong,” said Loucas.

New Zealand has a choice: defend evidence-based policy to a captured FCTC or move beyond it and build real public health frameworks aligned with science, not ideology."

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