Much more assertive action needs to be taken if New Zealand is to meet its goal of being smokefree by 2025, an anti-smoking group says.
Around 85 percent of New Zealander's claim to be non-smokers and the Government hopes to get that number down up to 95 percent within the next nine years.
Robert Beaglehole, chair of anti-smoking campaigners ASH, believes policy and business needs to reduce the availability of cigarettes and tobacco products even further before progress can be made.
Currently, Beaglehole says, you can buy them in more than 8000 retail outlets and reducing their availability would discourage kids from starting and encourage smokers to stop.
The organisation insists that more targeted action needs to taken to stop Maori and Pacific people smoking.
Beaglehole said much more to warn vulnerable people off picking up the habit.
Addicted people often believe they have nothing else in life, but most smokers want to stop, he said.
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