Friday, 16 April 2021, 5:32 am Tala Pasifika; Pacific Action For Change congratulate Associate Minister of Health, Dr. Ayesha Verrall for today’s release of a strong comprehensive action plan to achieve a Smokefree Aotearoa. Tala Pasifika Director, Lealailepule Edward Cowley says "I am so pleased to see the Government have delivered on their Manifesto promise to prioritise the development of this plan because smoking rates for Pacific people are still too high and the status quo has not been able to reduce our smoking rates significantly to reach the 2025 goal" The prevalence for Pacific smokers in 2013 was 23% and in 2018 census it was 21%, with over a third of current Pacific smokers living