8 reasons the government should not introduce oral nicotine pouches to NZ

By Janet Hoek, Professor in Public Health, University of Otago
Andrew Waa, Associate Professor in Public Health, University of Otago
Jude Ball, Senior Research Fellow in Public Health, University of Otago

It is now clear the government has failed to meet New Zealand’s smokefree goal of fewer than 5% of people from all population groups smoking by the end of this year.

According to the latest New Zealand Health survey, 6.8% of adults smoked daily this year, which is similar to the previous year (6.9%) and 2022-23 (6.8%).

Tobacco remains widely available and large inequities in smoking prevalence continue, with smoking among Māori at 15%.
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