Smokefree

Smoking increases the risk of cancer and causes the early death of around 4700 people in New Zealand each year.

Did You Know?

  • Smoking causes one in four of all cancer deaths in New Zealand.
  • Around 350 New Zealanders die each year because of exposure to other people’s tobacco smoke.
  • Non-smokers who breathe second-hand smoke suffer many of the same diseases as regular smokers.
  • When you smoke you inhale more than 4000 chemicals including acetone (paint stripper), ammonia (toilet cleaner), cyanide (rat killer), DDT (insecticide) and carbon monoxide (car exhaust fumes).
  • It can take more than one attempt to give up smoking, the more attempts you make the better your chance of being smokefree
  • If you give up smoking your health will improve and you will save money. Click here to see the Quit Groups Quit Calculator.

What Can You Do?

  • Start by making your home, and car smokefree.
  • Start thinking about quitting.
  • Set a quit date, get support from family and friends.
  • Talk to a quit provider;
    • Quitline is a free quit smoking telephone help line. Callers can request a quit pack which has practical quit smoking advice and information, talk to a quit advisor for one-on-one support or get exchange cards for subsidised nicotine patches or gum where suitable. Call 0800 778 778 to speak to a quit adviser.
    • Aukati Kai Paipa (click here) is a cessation programme which is run in around 37 sites around the country. The programme, which primarily targets Maori women and their whanau, provides one-on-one counselling to help people quit smoking. The programme has a high success rate and may be preferable to telephone counselling for some people.
    • Text2Quit: Sign up for Txt2Quit and get TXT message support sent straight to your mobile. Getting TXT messages can help keep your motivation up and give you some advice and support along the way as you quit. Text: QUIT to 3111.
    • Other 'Face-to-Face' Services; Medical centres, Asthma Society, Heart Foundation.
    • Other cessation advice/treatment; pharmacists, hypnotherapists, acupuncturists, natural therapists.

Useful Websites