Māori Affairs Select Committee Inquiry into the tobacco industry in Aotearoa and the consequences of tobacco use for Māori.

The Smokefree Coalition fully endorses the Māori Affairs Select Committee's call for the New Zealand tobacco industry to give an account of the role it plays in causing both sickness and early deaths among Māori, and encourages organisations and individuals to make a submission.

The inquiry has been instigated by the Māori Affairs Select Committee, and therefore has a focus on Māori, but it is important there is a mix of both Māori and non-Māori participation. This will provide the required evidence that tobacco use has a cross-community impact on all New Zealanders.

In particular, we encourage providing the Committee with compelling personal stories that will have a significant impact on the direction of the inquiry. Having managerial and/or workforce perspectives presented will also be of benefit.

Assistance with oral submissions

The first hearing dates have been announced by the Māori Affairs Select Committee and, as we expected, they are short notice. If you live in the Auckland and Rotorua regions, you may have already received your invitation.

Please contact Shane Kawenata Bradbrook at Te Reo Marama on 04 499 6494 (shane@tereomarama.co.nz) if you are scheduled for the 8 March hearing in Rotorua and would like assistance in preparing your oral submission. For those scheduled for 10 and 11 March in Auckland, please contact either myself on 04 472 0157 (director@sfc.org.nz), ASH on 09 520 4866 (ashnz@ash.org.nz), or Te Hotu Manawa Māori on 09 6385800 (info@thmm.co.nz).

If you helped other organisations or individuals make their submissions, but they are not members of the Smokefree Coalition, please let them know that we are making assistance with hearings available to all. Our aim is to achieve some collectivisation that will give us confidence to make our arguments as clearly as possible.

Submissions

• Smokefree Coalition (PDF 330Kb)
• ASH New Zealand (PDF 277Kb)
• Change for Our Children (PDF 392Kb)
• The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (PDF 231Kb)
• Cancer Society of New Zealand (PDF 117Kb)
• Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand (PDF 406Kb)
• New Zealand Nurses Organisation (PDF 221Kb)
• New Zealand Medical Association (PDF 263Kb)
• The Asthma Foundation (PDF 217Kb)
• New Zealand Aotearoa Adolescent Health and Development (PDF 282Kb)

Media

• Tobacco orphans urge ban by 2020 – New Zealand Herald, 6 March 2010
• Marae under attack from smoking, inquiry told – New Zealand Herald, 8 March 2010
• Smoking inquiry launched, Harawira wants total ban – 3News, 8 March 2010
• Māori health groups attending select committee hearing in Rotorua – Radio New Zealand, 8 March 2010
• Call for tobacco to be dealt the same way as meth – New Zealand Herald, 9 March 2010
• Māori vs big tobacco – Dominion Post, 11 March 2010
• Remove tobacco from shops, says academic – New Zealand Herald, 11 March 2010
• Family tells of smoking death pain – New Zealand Herald, 12 March 2010
• Harawira fires a volley for the smoking battalion – Dominion Post, 12 March 2010
• Editorial: Heat is on merchants of death – New Zealand Herald, 14 March 2010