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The repeal of smoke-free legislation has undone decades of work to reduce inequities in Māori health outcomes, writes Amohia Boulton

In Aotearoa (New Zealand), a country of just over five million people,1 13 people die every day because of smoking or second hand smoke exposure.2 That’s roughly 5000 people a year. For Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa, the effects of smoking are felt even more profoundly. Data from 2020-21 show that almost 20% of all Māori,3 and 26% of Māori adults, smoked.4 Although these numbers are lower than they have been in previous decades, Māori adult smoking rates are still almost three times higher than the rates for adults of European descent,4 putting Māori at greater risk of morbidity and death from cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or a combination of these.567

In addition to generally bearing a greater burden of disease and ill health than non-Māori people of Aotearoa,89 Māori are more likely to have ....

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