November 30, 2023
Verrall challenges Reti on Māori death rates
Former Health Minister Ayesha Verrall is challenging new minister Shane Reti to acknowledge the impact on Māori of his Government’s roll-back of smokefree laws.
Dr Verrall says Māori have led the smokefree movement, and the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 goal was set by the National-Māori Party Government in 2011.
She says it’s a key part of wider public health goals, including for Māori health.
“The changes we proposed would have addressed the life expectancy gap for Māori perhaps by a quarter for Māori women so that major problem we have of Māori dying earlier than non-Māori, we would have made a substantial inroad into that,” Dr Verrall says.
Policies that are being torn up include de-nicotisation of cigarettes, a reduction in the number of retailers and banning the sale of smoking tobacco to the next generation.