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Repealed the previous government’s 2022 “smokefree generation” law, a world-first set of measures aimed at ending smoking in New Zealand, before its main parts took effect. The repeal was a coalition commitment and was passed under urgency.
Its journey through Parliament
A reversal that became a flashpoint in public-health policy, and over whether health policy was changed for revenue.
Health officials and experts urged the government to keep parts of the law, and it drew international attention as a world-first policy being reversed. The government gave two reasons: Associate Health Minister Casey Costello argued the untested regime risked a black market and prohibition-style harms, while Finance Minister Nicola Willis had linked the repeal to the tobacco tax revenue the coalition’s fiscal plan relied on, which critics said meant reversing health policy for revenue.
National-led government; Associate Health Minister Casey Costello.
Now law. The three measures were repealed before they took effect. How to keep driving smoking rates down, and how to regulate vaping, remains a live debate.
The legislation behind this, with where it has got to.
Neutral summary, January 2026 knowledge cut-off, confirm any later changes at the official source. Politika does not take a side.
