UPDATED 12.41pm: Smoking is well and truly on the decline according to sales data from the tobacco industry, supplied to the Ministry of Health.

LISTEN: Marewa Glover joins the Mike Hosking Breakfast to discuss smoking rates. 

The number of cigarettes sold has dropped an average of 6.3% per year since 2010.

Massey University's Associate Professor Marewa Glover says the overall average drop of 23% is down to the cost of smoking.

"Tobacco tax increases are really key. When we didn't have them, we plateaud off and then in 2010 when the taxes were put in place again, from then on we've seen this drop."

Taxes on tobacco have risen by 10% year on year since 2010. 

Glover said there's still work to be done in communities where smoking is too-often the norm, but the drop in sales is a pleasing sign that New Zealand is on the right track.

"There are certainly areas where you would think no-one smokes any more, or only a few people."

"Go somewhere else and everyone will still smoke there, and it will be normal."

She wants to focus on finding ways of reaching communities that still have a large proportion of smokers, and thinks more needs to be done with long-time smokers.

"We have got this brick wall in front of us, it does seem we need to do something else for them, and there are communities we haven't reached."

Many groups are about to re-tender for their funding so will be coming up with new ideas to put out the smoke.