The Cancer Society says New Zealand’s dramatic drop in global ranking in the latest tobacco industry inference report shows an urgent need for stronger protections.
Previously held up as world-leading in smokefree policy, New Zealand’s ranking has dropped from 2 in 2023 to 53 in the 2025 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index.
The Index is a global survey of how governments are responding to tobacco industry interference and protecting health policies from the tobacco industry’s commercial and vested interests under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
Cancer Society Head of Advocacy and Public Affairs Rachael Neumann said the Cancer Society provided information from New Zealand to contribute to the global report. It was the fourth consecutive time the Cancer Society had compiled the two-yearly New Zealand Tobacco Industry Interference Index report. This year the report was reviewed by the University of Otago.
“New Zealand is being highlighted in the global report as ‘most deteriorated’. The drop in ranking is largely because of the Governments’ repeal of strong Smokefree laws (against health expert and public support), a tax cut to heated tobacco products (against Ministry of Health and Treasury advice) and many examples of what’s known as the ‘revolving door’, where tobacco lobbyists move in and out of government roles.”
Ms Neumann said while all the information in the report is publicly available information or had previously been reported on, the report collated it, enabling it to be scored and benchmarked against a global approach.
“The report outlines the ways the Government has failed to uphold its commitments under the WHO Framework. It provides recommendations to strengthen New Zealand’s protection from the tobacco industry and better protect the health of all New Zealanders.”
Ms Neumann said Cancer Society’s message was simple – cancer prevention policy should be “based on evidence, not commercial vested interests of tobacco companies”.
“Tobacco industry interference leads to more smoking, more addiction and ultimately more cancer. This is about integrity in public health. We want to ensure decisions about cancer prevention are based on evidence.
“Tobacco remains the biggest preventable cause of cancer and a major driver of health inequities in New Zealand. To achieve a future free from cancer our tobacco policies must be protected from tobacco industry interference.”
How do we protect New Zealand from the tobacco industry influence:
- Create a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to raise awareness of and ensure consistent compliance with the WHO FCTC.
- Establishing a government-wide lobbyist register.
- Enhance transparency by collecting and publicly reporting tobacco industry data.
The Cancer Society’s full list of recommendations can be found in the report.
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