Plans to get the country smoke-free by 2025 are in danger of going up in smoke.

Documents released by the Ministry of Health show 12500 people quit smoking each year - but that needs to triple to keep the smoke-free target in reach.

The reports push for more focus on groups with persistently high smoking rates, such as Maori and Pacific people, as well as high risk groups like pregnant women.

The warning comes at a time when quit-smoking groups are under threat, with millions of dollars of funding currently up for tender, as the ministry "realigns" how it deals with tobacco.