Tararua District to be limited to two tobacco retailers under legislation changes

Recommendations were made to the Tararua District Council around smoke-free and vape-free public areas.

Dannevirke and Pahīatua will be the only places where people in the district can buy tobacco products under new legislation.

But only one retailer in each town will be licenced to sell them.

Julie Beckett, from Te Whatu Ora Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua MidCentral, told members of the Tararua District Council’s Community Development and Wellbeing Committee that there had been legislation changes around the goal of Smokefree Aotearoa 2025.

She said the legislation aimed to reduce the number of retailers from approximately 8000 to 599, and only two were planned for the Tararua District.

Beckett said applications would be opened up and the retailers would have to apply to the Ministry of Health.

“Then they will go through an algorithm [to] make sure the application fits all the criteria.”

There would be a verification process with those retailers, and from there they would be sorted into either accepted or declined categories.

Currently there was no licensing and anyone could set up a shop, but the new legislation under the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022 came into force in January this year.

Councillor Sharon Wards asked for clarification and was told no new retailers would be added and existing ones would be applying to be a tobacco retailer.

“There’s two spaces for retailers. All the others won’t be able to sell.”

Jose Gutry says smoking is still a leading cause of preventable death.

Jose Gutry, a health promoter with the Cancer Society, explained some of the details around the Government’s action plan for its smoke-free goal.

She said Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall launched the action plan with the vision to significantly reduce the harm of smoked tobacco products.

It was stated that smoking was still the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand and caused one in four cancers.

“So why are we doing this? Our tamariki are our future. We want a world where they will grow healthy, strong, safe and secure where smoking and vaping is not seen as normal behaviour.”

There were six actions proposed, which included creating a smoke-free generation where anyone who was born after 2009 would not be able to buy products, reducing nicotine levels and reducing availability.

Gutry said based on the 2018 census, the smoking statistics for Tararua District were ranging above the national average for New Zealand, with 19.7 per cent of adults in the district being regular cigarette smokers, almost 6 per cent above the national average.

The numbers for Māori and Pasifika were almost double that.

When looked at by age, 68 per cent of the district’s population between the ages of 30 and 64 were smoking.

In 2021 and 22, it was found one in 12 people aged 15 or older were using vapes on a daily basis.

The largest proportion of those using vapes were in the 18 to 24 age group and the 25 to 34 age group.

“These are the age groups having children and the people our rangatahi are looking up to for guidance and as role models,” Gutry said.

She said there were currently no health pathways to support people to quit vaping unless they were already recent smokers and using vapes to quit smoking.

“This does not apply to rangatahi, as most of them weren’t smokers.”

Tararua District Council was commended for developing a smoke-free policy back in 2008.

Gutry said almost all surrounding districts and regions had a policy on smoking and vaping and were committed to the Government’s action plan.

In their presentation, they made recommendations to the council on updating the 2008 policy to include smoke-free and vape-free public areas, as well as council events, outdoor dining areas on the footpaths and an education-based approach toward compliance.

Gutry said they could help to develop and support the smoke-free and vape-free outdoor policy and provide workshops on current legislation and regulation.

“We can also help with assisting of evaluation within your district and keep Tararua District Council updated on current research on tobacco control.”

She said they could also promote policy through their communication channels.

Leanne Warr is editor of the Bush Telegraph and has been a journalist on and off since 1996 when she joined the Levin Chronicle, before moving on to other publications. She re-joined NZME in June 2021.