Health Coalition Aotearoa is calling on political parties to put prevention at the centre of health policy, arguing that stronger action on tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food could save thousands of lives while reducing the growing strain on hospitals and primary healthcare.
The coalition’s Prevention Brief 2026 sets out a series of recommendations for the next Government, saying New Zealand’s health system will remain under pressure unless greater emphasis is placed on preventing disease rather than treating illness after it occurs.
The briefing argues that many of the country’s biggest health challenges—including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, respiratory illness and obesity—are largely preventable through stronger public health measures and healthier environments.
Among its key recommendations are stronger tobacco control policies, tighter regulation of alcohol marketing and availability, restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, improved nutrition standards, expanded investment in physical activity initiatives and greater support for community-based prevention programmes. The coalition also calls for health considerations to be embedded across all areas of government decision-making, recognising that housing, transport, education and employment all influence health outcomes.
The report highlights several public health initiatives that have either been reversed or placed on hold in recent years. These include the repeal of world-leading smokefree legislation, changes to tobacco control measures and delays to a range of prevention-focused policies aimed at reducing chronic disease. Health Coalition Aotearoa argues these decisions risk widening health inequities and slowing progress in reducing preventable illness, particularly among Māori and Pacific communities.
A major focus of the Prevention Brief is the influence of commercial interests on public policy. The coalition is urging greater transparency around lobbying and stronger safeguards to ensure health policy is developed independently of industries that profit from tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food products.
It argues that public health decisions should be guided by scientific evidence and long-term health outcomes rather than commercial interests, particularly where products are linked to significant levels of preventable disease.
The coalition says international evidence consistently shows that investment in prevention delivers substantial long-term benefits for both population health and healthcare spending. Reducing smoking rates, harmful alcohol consumption and obesity would lower demand for emergency departments, general practice, specialist services and hospital admissions while improving quality of life and increasing workforce participation.
For Māori, the report says prevention remains a critical equity issue. Māori continue to experience higher rates of many preventable illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers, contributing to persistent disparities in life expectancy and health outcomes. The coalition argues that prevention strategies designed in partnership with Māori and grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi offer the greatest opportunity to close those gaps.
With health expected to be a major issue in the lead-up to the General Election, the Prevention Brief 2026 challenges political leaders to place long-term public wellbeing ahead of short-term commercial interests and make prevention the foundation of New Zealand’s future health system.
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