The minister tasked with the Government’s controversial smoking policies has denied connections to the tobacco industry to public health advocates, and told them that she was anti-smoking, but “not necessarily anti-nicotine”.
Associate Health Minister Casey Costello addressed public health experts today at a forum organised by Health Coalition Aotearoa.
She said widespread availability and use of vaping had had a significant impact on smoking cessation rates. From 2018 to 2023, rates almost halved from 13.3% to 6.8%.
Costello said there hadn’t been a “proper plan” for vaping and there should have been more regulation, especially to protect young people.
“But the reality is, vaping has seen New Zealand make fantastic progress in getting people to stop smoking. Wahine Māori have been the most stubborn smokers, but they too have been quitting smoking, with vaping playing a key role.”
She said when surveys on smoking began there were 119,000 young smokers, but last year it had fallen to just 19,000.
“Our young people aren’t smoking and don’t want to smoke … 88% haven’t even had a puff for under 17s. We already have something like a smoke-free generation.
“New Zealand is winning the battle against smoking.”
She said the last battleground was for “hardcore smokers” – those aged 45 to 64 who had been smoking for a long time.
“I want our actions, our marketing and messaging, and our services to target these groups.”
Costello said where cessation tools were working, they should remain.
“We want to stop the harm from smoking and achieve our Smokefree 2025 target. To do this we have to be anti-smoking, not necessarily anti-nicotine.
“For a long time, we’ve accepted that using a safer form of nicotine is an important tool in getting people on the pathway to stop smoking tobacco. This is from nicotine patches through to vaping.”
She said the regulatory regime around these tools was important.
“I appreciate that our pathway forward has not been consistent with the direction you wanted to take but I can assure you our goal is common and our determination is equal.”
The minister has faced criticism for halting smokefree legislation Labour wanted to progress, as well as cutting the excise tax on heated tobacco products.
Costello then denied claims made by a fellow guest speaker that “the tobacco industry is being called on for advice” from the Government. The statement was made by Auckland University public health professor Chris Bullen.
“There has been no association with the tobacco industry, and that has not been where I have gone to for advice,” she said.
That’s despite New Zealand First inviting a tobacco lobbyist to a ceremony where the party’s MPs became ministers at Government House late last year.
Costello has also been unable to explain where documents with advice – including the claim nicotine was only as harmful as caffeine – in her office came from.
She said her approach would help deter the tobacco black market.
Costello claimed, as she lived in South Auckland, she had “a pretty good idea about the illicit tobacco market” and she “could take you to the shops that provide illicit tobacco”.
1News asked if she had reported that to police and the minister said she hadn’t.
“I’ve told officials what’s going on.
“I went back and it wasn’t there anymore so that was from a constituent who told me it was there but I went back and it wasn’t there anymore.”
Asked what the name of the store was, she said she couldn’t name it if it was no longer selling the illicit tobacco.